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BEIGHT'S 


SINGLE  STEM,  DWARF  AND  RENEWAL 


SYSTEM   OF 


GEAPE    CULTURE. 


ADAPTED  TO  THE  VINEYARD,  THE  GEAPERY,  AND 

THE  FRUITING  OF  VINES  IN  POTS,  ON 

TRELLISES,  ARBORS,  ETC. 


"Things  which  bring  in  money,  will  be  sure  to  make  their 
own  way." 

— Leihig  on  Modern  Agriculture. 


BY    WILLIAM    BRIGHT, 

tiogaix  Nxxx'sery-,   Pliiladelpliia. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PUBLISHED    BY    THE    AUTHOR. 

NEW     YORK: 

C.  M.  SAXTON,  BARKER  &  CO. 
18  60. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congresa,  in  the  year  1860, 

BY    WILLIAM    BRIGHT, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court,  for  the  Eastern  District 
of  Pennsylvania, 


PILE  &  M'ELROT,  PRINTEE6. 


fiiglt  m  6tip  iiiltttw. 


The  Single  Stem,  Dwarf  and  Renewal 
System  of  Grape  Culture. 

We  presume  every  grape-grower  lias  felt  the  want  of 
Bome  simple,  definite  and  efficient  system  of  managing 
the  vine,  especially  in  the  vineyard,  and  upon  small 
arbors  and  trellises.  After  all  the  talk  about  grape 
culture,  no  one  that  we  know  of  has  any  established 
method  of  pruning  and  training  the  vine,  which  may 
be  pronounced  a  simple,  complete  and  satisfactory  sys- 
tem. The  German  method,  as  practised  at  Cincinnati, 
it  is  admitted,  is  not  well  adapted  to  the  production  of 
perfect  table  grapes ;  and  the  Thomery  system,  advo- 
cated by  Dr.  C.  W.  Grant,  though  elegant  and  success- 
ful on  high  trellises,  is  not  adapted  to  vines  with  long 
joints,  nor  to  general  vineyard  culture.  To  allow  vines 
to  range  almost  unrestrained  over  tall  trees  and  immense 
arbors,  is  by  many  considered  the  perfection  of  wisdom, 
while  it  is  literally  a  great  system  with  no  system  at  all. 

(5) 


6  BRIGHT    ON     GRATE    CULTURE. 

All  vines  running  to  a  great  height,  must  of  necessity 
have  an  immense  length  of  barren  cane  in  proportion 
to  its  fruiting  wood^  and  this  barrenness  is  yearly  in- 
creasing. The  best  qualities  of  our  native  grapes,  we 
feel  convinced,  can  never  be  developed,  unless  a  better 
method  of  pruning  and  training  be  adopted  by  grape 
growers;  and  with  the  hope  of  aiding  th-e  accomplish- 
ment of  this  object,  we  here  present  our  system  of  cul- 
ture, which,  if  not  the  best  that  can  be  devised^  is,  we 
believe,  far  superior  to  any  system  at  present  in  use  in 
the  United  States. 

The  <^  dwarf  and  renewal  system/'  as  we  style  it, 
though  not  entirely  original  with  the  writer,  is  the  re- 
sult of  long  experience  in  the  culture  of  the  vine,  and 
embodies  some  methods  of  managing  the  grape,  of  great 
value,  which  are  not  generally  known  or  practised  by 
other  cultivators. 

The  writer  believes  that  his  system  is  beyond  all 
question  the  best  that  can  be  adopted  for  grape  culture, 
in  America,  in  all  cases.  It  is,  in  the  main,  a  method 
of  fruiting  the  vine  on  a  single,  short  cane,  with  veri/ 
short  lateral  branches, — growing  new  wood  from  the 
main  stem  one  year,  and  fruiting  it  the  next;  dwarfing 
the  vine  by  a  definite  rule  of  stopping  and  pruning,  and 
renewing  the  entire  wood  of  the  vine,  (except  a  small 
portion  of  the  main  stem,)  every  other  year. 

This  system  possesses  many  important  advantages 
over  any  other  method  of  culture,  which  will  become 
apparent  after  proper  examination  or  trial. 


BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE     CULTURE,  7 

Its  cbief  merit  is,  that  it  concentrates  the  entire 
strength  of  the  vine  roots  upon  a  small  quantity  of 
young,  vigorous  wood,  and  produces  larger  and  finer 
bunches  of  grapes  than  can  be  obtained  by  any  other 
process.  As  to  quantity  of  crop,  it  is  equal,  if  not 
superior,  to  any  other  system  of  culture.  Indeed,  it  is 
believed,  that  in  the  vineyard  or  elsewhere,  this  system 
will  produce  a  larger  crop  of  grapes  than  can  be  obtain- 
ed from  the  same  extent  of  soil  upon  long  canes,  under 
any  of  the  ordinary  methods  of  pruning. 

The  vines  grown  according  to  this  system  are  more 
perfectly  under  control  than  when  allowed  to  ramble 
over  long  ranges  of  wire  or  trellises;  they  are  more 
easily  trained  and  tied  up,  or  laid  down  in  winter ;  they 
can  be  kept  in  a  more  healthy  and  vigorous  condition ; 
and  when  they  decline  in  health  or  fruiting  capacity, 
any  entire  vine  may  be  readily  renewed  by  layering, 
thus  producing  a  new  set  of  roots  near  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  without  essentially  interfering  with  the 
general  product  of  the  vineyard. 

The  common  idea  is,  that  the  Isabella,  Catawba,  and 
other  native  American  vines,  must  be  allowed  to  ramble 
almost  at  will;  it  is  contended  that  their  wild,  natural 
character  demands  this  treatment,  and  that  any  attempt 
to  cut  them  back  severely,  will  injure  their  health  and 
fruitfulness.  This  idea  may  be  correct,  as  applied 
to  any  ©f  the  common  methods  of  pruning,  but  it  is  not 
correct  when  considered  in  relation  to  the  method  of 
culture  advocated   in   this  work.     It  may  be  improper 


8        BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE. 

to  prune  severely  an  old  vine,  with  a  long  cane,  but 
sucli  is  not  our  system.  We  grow  an  entire  vine  one 
season,  and  fruit  it  the  next ;  we  do  not  cut  back  se- 
verely an  old  vine  already  grown.  The  vine  under  this 
system  is  allowed  to  expend  its  whole  strength,  wild 
rambling  nature  and  all,  during  one  season,  in  the  pro- 
duction of  a  new  and  perfect  cane  ^  the  next  season  it  is 
permitted  to  produce  a  full  crop  of  fruit,  as  full  and  as 
heavy  as  its  wood  and  roots  are  able  to  perfect.  If  this 
is  not  work  enough  for  the  roots,  as  much  work,  in  fact, 
as  any  vine  is  called  upon  to  perform,  then  we  have 
made  a  great  mistake  in  our  estimate  of  the  matter. 

The  opponents  of  dwarf  culture  declare  that  this  sys- 
tem may  answer  for  foreign  grapes  in  pots,  but  will  not 
answer  for  the  Isabella,  and  other  hardy  native  grapes  j 
this  opinion  being  based  upon  the  idea  that  the  native 
grapes,  with  their  wild  character,  are  more  free  in 
growth  than  the  foreign  vines.  But  this  latter  opinion 
is  positively  incorrect.  It  is  not  true  that  the  native 
grapes  arc  more  vigorous  or  free  in  growth  than  the 
foreign  kinds,  as  every  grape-grower,  who  has  ever  cul- 
tivated the  foreign  kinds  under  glass,  must  admit.  The 
whole  theory  upon  which  the  dwarf  culture  of  native 
grapes  is  opposed,  is  founded  in  error.  The  foreign 
vines  are  in  fact  vastly  more  free  in  growth,  more  wild, 
if  you  please,  than  the  Isabella,  or  any  other  native ; 
yet  the  foreign  vines  endure  the  dwarfing  process  in  pot 
culture,  not  only  without  injury,  but  with  the  highest 
deo-ree  of  success.    The  same  is  true  of  the  Isabella  and 


BRIGHT    ON     GRAPE     CULTURE.  9 

other  native  vines.  We  have  tried  them  in  pots,  on 
arbors  and  trellises,  and  in  the  vineyard,  on  our  system, 
and  have  found  the  fears  of  grape-growers,  as  to  the  in- 
jurious effects  of  dwarfing,  entirely  without  foundation. 

Upon  our  system,  in  fact,  the  free  flow  of  sap  from 
the  roots  is  not  checked  or  restrained ;  it  finds  full  and 
free  outlet  in  the  formation  of  wood,  foliage  and  fruit, 
— as  full  and  free  as  if  permitted  to  run  to  the  terminal 
points  of  a  vine  fifty  feet  long.  "We  give  the  roots  work 
enough  to  do,  and  they  are  never  ^^  made  sick  with  ex- 
cess of  sap,"  as  it  is  feared  they  may  be,  when  the  idea 
of  dwarf  culture  is  suggested.  "We  know,  by  experi- 
ence, the  best  of  teachers,  that  what  we  say  is  true;  and 
we  can  show  the  evidence  of  our  knowledge  and  expe- 
rience, in  thrifty  vines  and  large  crops  of  the  finest 
bunches  of  native  grapes,  grown  upon  the  dwarf  renewal 
system,  in  the  season  of  fruit,  to  any  one  who  may 
choose  to  examine  them. 

The  truth  is,  that  our  dwarf  renewal  system  of  vine 
culture  is  perfectly  adapted  to  native  grapes,  as  well  as 
to  the  foreign  kinds ;  it  most  perfectly  meets  the  wants 
of  grape-growers  in  the  United  States,  in  graperies  and 
vineyards,  and  on  arbors  and  trellises;  and  will  afi'ord 
every  person  who  practises  it,  the  highest  amount  of 
pleasur^and  profit. 

"We  iaave  purposely  described  the  system  of  pruning, 
here  Advocated,  in  detail,  in  several  sections  of  this 
work,  as  adapted  to  the  cold  grapery,  vineyard,  &c., 
preferring  to  make  some  repetition,  rather  than  to  fail^ 


10  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE. 

of  being  understood  by  readers  of  different  classes,  who 
may  wish  to  employ  this  system  in  the  various  kinds  of 
culture. 

The  method  of  ''  stopping/^  which  we  have  pre- 
scribed, is  peculiarly  our  own,  being  the  result  of  our 
personal  experience  and  practice  in  pot  vine  culture ; 
and  the  detached  and  divided  border  for  the  vinery,  is 
also  quite  original  with  us.  We  believe  that  we  have 
been  the  first  to  publish  any  suggestion  of  such  a  bor- 
der, and  the  first  to  construct  a  house  on  this  plan. 

We  also  advocate,  more  strictly  and  emphatically  than 
any  other  writer  that  we  know  of,  shallow  and  mode- 
rately rich  borders,  very  shallow  planting,  surface  ma- 
nuring and  heavy  mulching,  as  necessary  to  success  in 
grape  culture. 

The  alternate  renewal  plan,  which  we  recommend, 
has  never  before,  we  believe,  been  presented  to  the  pub- 
lic, or  practised  in  the  vineyard,  as  a  distinct  and  defi- 
nite system,  and  may  therefore  be  claimed  as  original. 

Our  method  of  top-dressing  and  manuring,  and  the 
combination  of  fertilizers  employed,  are,  we  believe,  in 
many  respects  new ;  and  we  feel  assured  that  they  are 
based  upon  scientific  principles,  which  will  bear  tho 
test  of  investigation  and  practical  trial. 

This  work  was  originally  intended  to  be  simply  a 
hand-book  of  instruction  in  the  management  of  the 
grape  vine  in  pots,  and  the  system  we  advocate  has 
chiefly  grown  out  of  our  experience  in  that  kind  of  cul- 
ture; we  shall  therefore  first  treat  of  the  propagation 


BRIGHT    ON     GRAPE    CULTURE.  11 

and  fruitin.g  of  viae  iu  pots.  What  follows,  on  the 
vineyard  and  grapery,  we  have  been  induced  to  add  at 
the  earnest  request  of  several  friends,  who  think  as  we 
do,  that  our  system  is  well  adapted  to  general  use,  and 
ought  to  be  made  public.  We  feel  well  assured  that 
no  one  who  may  try  this  method  of  pruning  will  have 
any  cause  to  regret  it. 


Culture  of  the  Grape  Vine  in  Pots. 


The  art  of  growing  and  fruiting  the  grape  vine  in 
pots,  forms  one  of  the  most  interesting,  elegant,  and 
profitable  branches  of  modern  horticulture.  When  well 
understood,  the  culture  of  the  vine  in  this  way  will  be 
found  to  be  as  simple  and  as  easy  as  in  the  border,  and 
even  better  suited  to  the  circumstances  and  wants  of 
numerous  amateurs  and  gardeners. 

Anybody  who  has  a  small  forcing-house,  may  produce 
the  best  foreign  grapes  in  pots  in  perfection,  without 
the  costly  preparations  of  the  vinery,  and  with  very  lit- 
tle trouble.  If  the  grape,  when  fruited,  is  an  elegant 
object  in  the  vinery,  it  is  much  more  so  in  the  pot ;  and 
when  managed  with  skill,  the  mass  of  splendid  fruit 
which  a  single  cane  less  than  three  feet  in  height  is 
capable  of  producing,  cannot  fail  to  excite  the  admira- 
tion of  every  beholder. 

A  great  many  persons  who  have  small  green-houses, 
would  like  to  raise  grapes.  To  such,  pot-culture  offers 
peculiar  advantages.  The  work  of  growing  the  vines 
can  be  easily  and  cheaply  done  by  themselves  or  their 
gardeners,  and  the  plants  got  ready  in  any  number,  (as 

(12) 


BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE.  IB 

will  be  lioreafter  described,)  and  brought  forward,  say 
a  dozen  or  two  at  a  time,  without  interfering  witli  tho 
other  plants,  and  fruited  as  soon  as  in  a  regular  hot- 
house, and  in  great  abundance  and  perfection. 

For  early  forcing,  the  pot  vine  is  exceedingly  conve- 
nient. The  owner  of  a  vinery  may  desire  a  few  early 
grapes,  but  it  may  be  impossible  or  undesirable  to  heat 
the  border  early  in  the  season,  and  go  into  general 
forcing.  In  such  cases,  with  the  control  easily  exer- 
cised over  the  pot  vines,  we  may  start  them  in  the  hot- 
house in  the  month  of  March,  and  after  the  fruit  is  set, 
ripen  in  the  cold  vinery,  and  cut  the  fruit  in  June  or 
July. 

There  is  great  economy  of  space  in  pot-culture,  which 
commends  it  especially  to  persons  who  have  hot-houses 
of  limited  extent.  Five  hundred  square  feet  of  glass 
will  ripen  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  grapes, 
in  a  common  house,  with  border  culture.  In  pots,  five 
hundred  pounds,  at  least,  may  be  obtained  under  the 
same  surface  of  glass,  and  the  period  of  ripening  may 
be  more  easily  hastened  or  retarded ;  thus  in  a  single 
house  greatly  extending  the  fruit  season. 

Grapes  in  pots  may  also  be  kept  for  three  or  four 
months  upon  the  vines,  after  they  are  ripened,  by  re- 
moving the  pots  to  a  cool,  dry,  airy  room — even  in  the 
parlor — thus  presenting  all  the  merit  of  a  beautiful 
house  plant,  as  an  object  of  interest,  as  well  as  a  deli- 
cious source  of  gratification  to  the  palate.  West's  St. 
Peter's,  Muscat,  and  several  other  late  grapes,  ripened 


14  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

in  pots  on  the  1st  of  October,  will  keep  on  the  vines,  in 
a  cool,  dry,  airy  room,  till  the  1st  of  February  or  March. 

As  an  ornament  to  the  dinner  table,  or  for  decorating 
a  room  for  evening  parties,  there  is  no  production  of 
the  hot-house  more  truly  magnificent  in  all  respects, 
than  a  pot  vine  fully  and  properly  developed,  bearing 
six  or  seven  bunches  of  the  finest  grapes,  as  they  may 
be  grown  by  proper  dwarf  culture,  such  as  we  shall  de- 
scribe in  this  work. 

The  early  fruiting  of  dwarf  pot  vines  is  another  ad- 
vantage greatly  in  their  favor,  as  compared  with  com- 
mon vines.  Vines  are  so  easily  produced  in  pots,  that 
it  is  a  matter  of  little  consideration  if  you  fruit  them 
early,  at  the  expense  of  the  existence  of  the  vine,  while 
in  the  border  you  would  be  more  careful  to  create  a 
strong  cane  before  permitting  it  to  fruit.  Vines  may 
be  struck  from  the  eye,  and  forced  into  perfect  and 
abundant  fruiting  in  eighteen  months.  You  may  strike 
vines  from  the  eye  in  March,  and  fruit  them  in  pots 
the  second  season,  moderately,  without  serious  injury  to 
them. 

Properly  and  moderately  fruited,  the  pot  vine  is  not 
destroyed,  as  many  pcrsofis  suppose,  in  one  or  two  sea- 
sons, but  may  be  shifted  from  small  to  larger  pots, 
root-pruned,  and  again  placed  in  smaller  pots,  for  years, 
the  proper  nutriment  for  growing  wood  and  perfecting 
fruit  being  added  to  the  soil  at  each  change  of  pots, 
and  given  in  solution  while  bearing.  A  much  greater 
variety  of  grapes  may  be  grown  together  in  pots  in  the 


BRIGHT    ON     GRAPE    CULTURE.  15 

same  house,  than  by  the  common  method  in  borders. 
When  the  roots  of  vines  run  together,  it  is  well  known 
that  the  strong-growing  sorts  are  apt  to  injure  and 
drive  out  the  weaker  kinds,  as  for  instance,  the  strong- 
growing  White  Nice,  Syrian,  or  Buel,  planted  in  a  bor- 
der by  the  side  of  the  Black  Prince,  or  the  Dutch  Sweet 
Water,  will  so  seriously  check  the  growth  of  the  latter, 
that  perfect  fruiting  is  almost  impossible.  With  vines 
in  pots  no  such  accident  can  happen.  Each  plant  is 
perfectly  independent  of  every  other,  and  they  may  be 
placed  side  by  side  without  injury. 

It  will  be  here  understood  that  we  are  speaking  of 
true  and  exclusive  pot  vine  culture — not  that  partial  or 
mixed  system  which  permits  the  roots  of  the  vine  to 
extend  from  the  pots  into  a  border. 

In  pot  culture,  grapes  which  it  is  impossible  to  ripen 
in  the  border  without  cracking,  maybe  produced  in  the 
utmost  perfection.  The  Chasselas  Musque  is  a  grape 
of  this  description.  The  cracking  is  due  to  excess  of 
moisture  in  the  border,  which  it  is  sometimes  difficult 
to  prevent.  But  in  the  pot  we  have  entire  control  over 
the  moisture,  and  hence  perfect  grapes  can  be  produced. 

A  question  which  almost  every  man  will  ask,  in  re- 
spect to  pot  vine  culture,  is  this  :  ^^  Will  it  pay  V  We 
answer,  most  unhesitatingly,  it  will.  We  know  it  will 
pay.  We  grant  that  pot  vines  require  more  care  and 
attention  than  vines  in  borders ;  but  they  may  be  em- 
ployed by  many  persons  who  have  only  small  hothouses, 
without  interfering  with  other  plants,  and  without  any 


16       BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE. 

great  additional  expense;  large  crops  of  early  grapes 
(and  late  ones  too,)  may  be  obtained  where  none  could 
otherwise  be  grown  ;  and  the  return,  for  the  space  occu- 
pied and  care  required,  in  pecuniary  profit  and  personal 
gratification,  will  be  found  highly  satisfactory. 

Growing  foreign  grapes  in  hothouses  is  generally 
considered  a  sort  of  rich  man's  luxury.  The  pot  vine 
may,  on  the  contrary,  be  called  the  poor  man's  luxury. 
The  grape  in  borders  is  generally  grown  on  a  man's  own 
estate.  The  pot  vine  may  be  called  the  tenant's  grape. 
In  pots,  the  grape  may  be  grown  in  any  sort  of  hot- 
house, even  in  a  three-light  box,  by  the  tenant  of  the 
humblest  cottage ;  and  when  he  is  suddenly  called  upon, 
by  any  circumstance,  to  remove,  he  may  take  his  vine 
with  him,  at  any  season  of  the  year,  and  continue  its 
culture  at  his  pleasure. 

There  are  many  persons  who  have  much  taste  for  hor- 
ticultural pursuits,  and  for  the  culture  of  grapes  in  par- 
ticular, not  restricted  in  means,  who  yet  do  not  find  it 
desirable  to  erect  permanent  graperies.  To  such,  as 
well  as  to  the  really  poor  man,  the  pot  vine  is  a  most 
desirable  acquisition.  In  city  yards,  where  a  green- 
house only  ten  feet  square  can  be  erected,  there  the 
grape  may  be  grown  and  fruited  in  pots  as  perfectly  as 
in  the  most  costly  and  extensive  structures. 

With  these  advantages  of  pot  vine  culture  before  us, 
we  think  we  may  safely  say,  that  when  the  art  of  grow- 
ing and  fruiting  the  grape  in  this  way  becomes  fully 
and  generally  known,  it  will  be  exceedingly  popular. 


BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE.  17 

It  is  an  art  which  ladies  may  learn  and  exercise  under 
circumstances  well  suited  to  their  tastes,  and  may  even 
be  made  a  source  of  profit,  as  well  as  pleasure,  by  many 
ladies  who  would  not  choose  to  engage  in  any  common 
gainful  occupation.  To  the  man  of  wealth,  who  has 
extensive  hot-houses,  it  will  add  to  his  vines  a  con- 
venient method  of  early  forcing,  and  an  elegant  novelty 
for  the  parlor  or  the  supper-party;  and  to  the  person  of 
more  limited  means,  it  affords  an  opportunity  to  enjoy 
the  pleasure  of  growing  the  richest  grapes,  at  small  ex- 
pense, in  the  highest  perfection. 
2 


Propagation  and  Culture  of  Pot  Vines. 


STRIKING   FROM   EYES,   AND   POTTING. 

To  strike  from  eyes,  select  good,  strong,  well  ripened 
wood — tlie  stronger  the  better — as  soon  as  the  vines  are 
pruned.  Be  careful  not  to  let  the  wood  become  dry. 
Place  the  wood  in  a  cool  spot,  and  cover  it  with  damp 
soil  or  sand.  About  the  first  of  March,  bed  each  eye 
in  plain  bar  sand,  in  a  shallow  box,  at  an  angle  of 
about  45°,  so  as  to  leave  the  eye  slightly  projecting. 
Keep  the  sand  moderately  moist,  and  place  the  box  con- 
taining it  in  a  bottom  heat  of  about  80°,  and  under  a 
solar  heat  of  about  50°  to  55°.  The  eyes  will  begin  to 
break  in  about  a  month.  Pot  off  in  four  inch  pots,  with 
equal  portions  of  leaf  mould,  sand  and  loam.  Plunge 
the  pots  back  into  the  same  bottom  heat,  increasing  the 
solar  heat  to  65°  j  and  water  copiously  when  the  plant 
is  becoming:  established. 


SHIFTING   POTS. 

As  soon  as  the  pot  becomes  well  filled  with  roots,  say 
in  four  weeks,  shift  the  vines  to  seven  inch  pots. 

(18) 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.       19 

In  the  preparation  of  the  soil  for  these  pots,  there  is 
an  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  much  scientific  skill. 
The  common  method  is,  to  make  a  compost  of  old  sod, 
and  a  little  well  rotted  stable  manure,  with  the  addition 
of  a  small  quantity  of  finely  ground  bones.  The  lead- 
ing requirements  oi  the  y'me,  for  the  formation  of  roots 
and  loood,  are  carbonaceous  loam,  alkaline  phosphates^ 
silicate  of  potash,  carbonate  of  soda  and  lime,  and  a 
good  proportion  of  nitrogenous  manure.  Our  method 
of  making  composts  for  vine  borders,  so  as  to  combine 
the  requisite  ingredients  in  the  proper  proportions,  will 
be  given  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

Proper  drainage  must  of  course  be  provided  in  the 
pot.  Pack  the  soil  firmly  about  the  roots,  and  give 
water  moderately  till  the  pot  becomes  well  filled  with 
roots,  then  water  copiously.  About  the  middle  of  May 
remove  the  pots  to  the  vinery,  and  treat  them  as  you 
would  any  ordinary  vine.  Pvemember  that  the  vine  is 
a  gross  feeder,  and  requires  an  abundant  supply  of 
water  in  sunny  weather. 

STOPPING    THE   FIRST   YEAR. 

Pinch  off  the  leader  when  about  two  feet  high,  and 
stop  all  laterals  at  two  joints.  About  the  first  of  Sep- 
tember withdraw  water  gradually,  only  giving  sufficient 
to  keep  the  vine  from  flagging ;  by  so  doing  you  will 
have  well  ripened  roots  and  canes  about  the  first  of 
October.     The  pots  may  then  be  placed  in  a  cool,  dry 


20  BRIGHT     ON    GRAPE     CULTURE. 

cellar  or  shed,  where  they  will  be  protected  from  frost 
and  mice — first  cutting  the  canes  down  to  two  inches 
This  concludes  the  first  year's  treatment. 

SECOND    YEAR GROWING    CANES    FOR    EARLY  FORCING. 

Pot  vines  selected  for  early  forcing,  should  be  brought 
into  a  temperature  of  40°  to  45°,  about  the  first  of  Feb- 
ruary. First  soak  the  whole  contents  of  the  pot  in 
good,  moderately  strong,  clear  manure  water,  setting 
the  pot  for  two  hours  in  a  tub  partly  filled  with  such  a 
solution — the  drainage  of  a  barn-yard  or  manure  heap, — 
or  prepared  by  stirring  up  some  well  rotted  manure  in 
water,  and  dipping  oif  the  clear  liquid  when  it  has  set- 
tled. The  decomposition  of  the  manure  is  hastened, 
and  the  solution  is  improved  by  the  addition  of  a  small 
quantity  of  potash  or  wood  ashes,  say  half  a  pound  of 
potash  or  half  a  peck  of  ashes  to  one  hundred  pounds  of 
manure. 

Increase  the  temperature  to  the  first  of  March,  about 
10°.  Water  sparingly,  merely  to  keep  the  soil  moist, 
till  the  vines  break  shoots  two  or  three  inches  long, 
which  will  be  about  the  first  of  April. 

SHIFTING   POTS. 

Now  shift  the  vines  from  seven  to  eleven  inch  pots, 
making  slight  but  well  secured  drainage,  and  fill- 
ing the  pot  with  properly  prepared  soil.     Good,  turfy. 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.       21 

half  rotted  sods,  or  good  loam  from  an  old  pasture,  with 
a  handful  or  two  of  fine  bone  dust,  or  our  special  ferti- 
lizer, to  each  pot,  and  a  little  well  decomposed  stable 
manure,  makes  an  excellent  compost.  Pot  firmly,  being 
careful  not  to  bruise  the  roots  in  pressing  down  the  soil, 
and  place  in  the  pot  a  strong  stake  three  feet  six  inches 
long. 

The  temperature  of  the  house  may  now  be  increased 
to  60°  or  65°  at  night,  and  10°  or  15°  more  by  day. 
Give  air  moderately  at  the  top  of  the  house,  and  keep 
the  walls,  floors,  and  whole  house,  in  clear  days,  well 
sprinkled  with  water,  so  as  to  secure  a  very  moist  atmos- 
phere. 

STOPPING,  TO   MAKE   DWARFS    FOR   EARLY   FORCING. 

By  the  middle  of  April,  the  vines  will  have  made  five 
or  six  inches  growth,  short-jointed  and  solid.  Pinch  ofi^ 
the  leading  shoot  about  one  inch  above  the  fourth  eye. 
The  three  lower  leaves  will  now  develope  very  rapidly, 
and  the  lateral  of  the  upper  eye  will  make  its  appear- 
ance. When  the  upper  lateral  has  grown  two  joints 
long,  pinch  it  off  within  one  inch  of  the  main  cane. 
The  main  eye  will  then  start.  If  the  three  lower  eyes 
are  not  very  prominent,  let  the  lateral  of  the  upper  eye 
run  to  three  or  four  joints,  in  order  to  allow  time  for 
the  lower  eyes  to  develope  their  laterals.  But  when  the 
lower  eyes  are  very  prominent,  and  the  lower  laterals  are 
well  developed,  you  may  takeoff  entirely  the  upper  lateral. 


22  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE    CULTURE. 

The  leader  will  start  rapidly  when  the  upper  lateral 
IS  removed.  As  soon  as  the  leader  has  made  a  few 
inches  growth,  pinch  back  the  three  lower  laterals  to 
one  joint  each.  As  soon  as  the  leader  has  made  five 
joints,  pinch  it  oflF  as  before,  and  treat  the  new  portion 
of  the  main  cane  as  we  directed  for  the  first  portion ; 
that  is,  encouraging  the  growth  or  stopping  the  laterals 
as  required  by  their  condition  and  progress. 

As  soon  as  the  wood  begins  to  turn  brown,  near  the 
roots,  showing  any  indication  of  ripening,  remove  all  the 
laterals  to  within  one  inch  of  the  cane,  up  to  the  fourth 
eye.  Now  leave  the  cane  to  run  rather  freely,  occasion- 
ally stopping  both  cane  and  laterals,  at  discretion,  accord- 
ing to  growth.  If  you  allow  the  cane  to  grow  too  lux- 
uriantly, you  will  be  likely  to  lose  the  lower  foliage 
before  the  wood  is  well  ripened,  which  will  be  fatal  to 
the  fruiting  of  the  lower  eyes  the  following  season ;  and 
an  excess  of  cane,  above  sixteen  eyes,  will  encumber  the 
pot  with  an  excessive  quantity  of  roots. 

By  the  middle  of  July,  the  last  stopping  will  be  per- 
formed. About  the  middle  of  August,  water  sparingly ; 
only  give  so  mucb  moisture  as  will  keep  the  vines  from 
flagging.  In  the  middle  or  latter  part  of  September, 
the  vines  will  show  indications  of  going  to  rest,  the 
foliage  becoming  yellow.  About  the  first  of  October 
the  pots  may  be  placed  in  a  cool  cellar,  where  they  will 
get  moderate  light;  keep  the  soil  just  moist,  admit  cool 
air,  but  protect  them  from  frost. 

Wlien  the  pots  are  placed  in  the  cellar,  cut  down  the 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.       26 

vines  to  two  feet,  or  two  feet  six  inches,  still  preserving 
the  foliage  as  long  as  possible.  The  vines  should  be  cut 
back  a  month  before  the  foliage  is  gone,  which  gives 
the  wood  plenty  of  time  to  heal,  so  as  to  prevent  bleed- 
ing when  started  in  the  spring. 


SECOND  YEAR  CONTINUED — TREATMENT  OP  VINES 
FOR  LATE  CROPS. 

We  will  now  consider  the  second  year's  treatment  of 
vines  grown  for  ordinary  purposes,  say  for  fruiting  from 
the  first  of  July  to  the  first  of  September. 

Bring  these  pots  out  of  the  cellar  about  the  first  or 
middle  of  April,  and  place  them  in  a  tub  of  liquid  ma- 
nure for  two  hours,  as  directed  for  early  forcing.  Then 
put  them  into  the  green-house,  or  cold  vinery.  If  the 
weather  is  severe,  cover  them  at  night  with  a  few  leaves, 
litter,  cloth  or  canvas,  to  give  them  some  protection 
from  frost. 

About  the  first  of  May  the  eyes  will  commence  to 
break.  Disbud  down  to  the  two  lowest  and  strongest 
eyes. 

SHIFTING   POTS. 

Now  shift  the  vines  to  eleven  inch  pots,  filling  the 
vacant  space  with  sod,  compost  and  special  fertilizers, 
as  before  directed  for  forcing.  Select  the  strongest  eye, 
giving  preference   to  the  lowest  eye,  and  pot  close  up 


24  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

to  the  slioulder  of  tliis  eye,  so  as  to  get  new  roots  im- 
mediately from  the  new  wood.  Water  very  carefully, 
till  the  roots  extend  to  the  outside  of  the  pot;  apply 
the  water  only  to  the  ball  of  earth  from  the  old  pot,  and 
not  to  the  whole  soil.  A  little  basin  may  be  made, 
with  a  rim  of  soil  or  sod,  so  as  to  keep  the  water  near 
the  stem  of  the  vine.  If  you  water  the  whole  contents 
of  the  pot,  the  new  soil  will  become  sour  before  the 
roots  penetrate  it.  This  is  a  point  of  the  first  import 
ance. 


STOPPING,    AND    MANAGEMENT. 

The  vine  will  now  be  stopped  in  precisely  the  same 
way,  and  treated  in  all  respects  as  directed  for  vines  in- 
tended for  forcing. 

The  general  management  of  the  pot  vine  in  the  vi- 
nery will  also  be  the  same,  in  respect  to  ventilation, 
temperature,  moisture,  &c.,  as  that  of  vines  in  the  bor- 
der. 

Shorten  the  canes  back  to  two  feet,  or  two  feet  six  in- 
ches, say  about  the  first  of  November,  still  allowing  the 
leaves  to  remain  on  till  they  fall  ofi"  naturally,  and  the 
vines  go  to  repose.  About  the  first  of  December, 
place  the  pots  in  a  cool  cellar,  to  preserve  them  from 
frost;  never  allow  the  contents  of  the  pots  to  become 
dust  dry,  but  keep  the  soil  always  slightly  moist. 


BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE.  25 


TOP-DRESSING,    COMPOSTS   FOR    FRUIT. 

Before  placing  the  pots  in  the  cellar,  remove  all  the 
old  soil  you  can  from  the  pots,  without  injury  to  the 
roots,  and  apply  a  top-dressing,  to  promote  the  forma- 
tion of  fruit.  This  will  decompose,  and  gradually  in- 
corporate itself  with  the  mass  of  the  soil,  and  will  an- 
swer nearly  as  well  as  if  you  remove  the  vine  from  the 
pot,  and  shift  to  a  larger  pot,  with  an  increase  of  com- 
post. The  usual  top-dressing  is  composed  of  rich  loam, 
bone  dust,  cow  dung,  or  well  rotted  stable  manure,  as 
before.  But  this  dressing,  although  with  the  after  ap- 
plication of  liquid  manure  it  will  afford  good  grapes  in 
abundance,  does  not  meet  the  full  requirements  of 
the  fruiting  vine,  and  consequently  cannot  be  ex- 
pected to  produce  the  largest,  most  perfectly  colored, 
and  highly  flavored  bunches. 

The  special  manures  required  for  the  fruiting  vine, 
are  carbonaceous  matter,  silicate  of  potash,  alkaline 
phosphates,  tartrate  of  potash,  and  a  small  proportion 
of  ammonia.  The  best  method  of  supplying  substances 
affording  these  ingredients,  will  be  given  in  another 
part  of  this  work. 

THIRD    YEAR — EARLY    FORCING. 

After  the  vines  are  cut  back,  at  the  end  of  the  second 
season,  say  first  of  October,  remove  as  much  of  the  soil 


26       BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE. 

as  possible,  and  top-dress  as  directed  for  the  common 
vines.      Keep  them  in  a  cool  place  for  one  month. 

About  the  first  of  November  remove  the  pots  to  a  pit, 
and  place  them  in  a  bottom  heat  of  75°  to  80°,  under 
a  solar  heat  of  50°  to  60°.  Water  sparingly  till  the 
buds  break.    In  one  month  the  eyes  will  begin  to  swell. 

During  the  first  month,  the  pots  may  be  placed  in  the 
pit  with  the  canes  bent  down,  and  the  pit  kept  covered 
with  mats  quite  dark,  thus  increasing  the  heat  and  hu- 
midity, which  greatly  promote  the  bursting  of  the  eyes. 

TEMPERATURE,    MOISTURE,   ETC. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  second  month,  when  the 
buds  are  just  bursting,  the  pots  may  be  removed  from 
the  pit  to  the  hot-house,  and  placed  in  a  bottom  heat  of 
80°  to  90°,  in  an  atmosphere  of  65°  by  day  and  00°  at 
night,  increasing  10°  or  15°  by  sun  heat.  It  is  im- 
portant to  break  the  buds  slowly. 

After  the  buds  are  fully  formed,  and  just  as  the 
leaves  begin  to  show,  maintain  a  dry  atmosphere,  for  a 
few  days,  till  the  foliage  is  developed. 

Let  the  vines  go  along  at  the  above  temperature  till 
they  begin  to  show  fruit.  After  the  foliage  is  deve- 
loped, increase  the  moisture  of  the  atmosphere. 

After  the  fruit  shows,  keep  the  temperature  of  atmo- 
sphere at  60°  to  65°  at  night,  and  75°  to  80°  by  day. 
Continue  bottom  heat  as  before. 

Just  as  the  vines   come  in  flower,  keep  the  atmos- 


BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE     CULTURE.  27 

pbere  excessively  moist ;   increase  the  lieat  for  a  few 
days,  and  air  freely. 

As  soon  as  the  fruit  shows,  stop  the  shoots  upon  which 
the  bunches  appear,  at  one  or  two  joints  beyond  each 
bunch  intended  to  be  preserved.  Usually  two  or  three 
bunches  show  at  the  third,  fourth  and  fifth  joints.  Se- 
lect the  best  bunch  on  each  shoot  for  preservation,  giv- 
ing the  preference  to  the  one  nearest  the  main  stem, 
and  remove  all  the  rest.  Stop  all  laterals,  leaving  one 
new  leaf  every  time,  and  continue  to  do  so  till  the  fruit 
commences  to  stone ;  then  desist  stopping  altogether. 
By  this  method  of  stopping,  the  leaves  of  the  laterals 
become  almost  as  large  as  the  main  leaves,  at  least  three 
times  the  size  they  usually  attain  under  some  of  the  old 
methods  of  summer  pruning.  One  very  large,  well  de- 
veloped leaf  is  worth  more  to  the  vine  than  half  a  dozen 
small,  imperfect  leaves. 

Thin  the  fruit  as  soon  as  you  can  see  the  herry  form- 
ed. This  is  highly  important.  Leave  about  seven 
bunches  on  a  vine  two  feet  six  inches  high.  Thin  the 
berries  or  bunches  of  free  setting  grapes  very  thin,  say 
leave  only  twenty  per  cent,  of  the  berries ;  a  bunch  of 
four  hundred  berries,  thin  to  sixty  or  eighty.  You  will 
get  as  much  weight  of  fruit,  far  superior  in  size,  color, 
and  flavor,  by  so  doing. 

Continue  to  pinch-in  the  laterals  closely,  leaving  one 
new  leaf  every  time,  as  before  directed,  till  the  fruit 
commences  to  stone  ;  then  cease  stopping  and  pinching 
and  encourage  the  growth  of  foliage  as  much  as  possi 


28  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

ble.  Should  any  of  the  laterals  grow  very  strongly, 
stop  them  at  any  time,  to  keep  the  plant  in  proper  form. 

The  temperature  is  to  be  continued  for  Hamburghs, 
and  all  kinds  except  Muscats,  (which  require  5°  to  10° 
higher  temperature,)  at  65°  to  70°,  nights,  and  from 
75°  to  85°,  days,  admitting  air  freely.  Watch  for  red 
spider  closely,  and  if  found,  syringe  heavily  with  clear, 
soft,  tepid  water;  wash  bricks  with  lime  and  sulphur, 
and  place  them  on  the  hottest  part  of  the  pipes  or  flue. 

Water  freely  with  clear  liquid  manure,  two  or  three 
times  a  week,  (made  with  rain  water  only,)  as  warm,  or 
warmer  than  the  temperature  of  the  house,  using  simple 
rain  water  also,  as  required. 

Keep  the  top  of  the  house  slightly  open  night  and 
day,  for  ventilation  :  and  air  very  freely  after  the  first 
symptoms  of  coloring,  in  favorable  weather. 

Grapes  so  grown  in  pots  will  ripen,  about  the  middle 
of  April,  on  a  vine  two  feet  six  inches  high,  with  ordi- 
nary culture,  seven  bunches,  and  with  first-rate  culture, 
eight  to  ten  bunches. 

When  the  fruit  is  quite  ripe,  the  pots  may  be  remov- 
ed to  any  dry,  warm  room,  set  on  a  table  in  the  dwell- 
ing, and  the  fruit  will  keep  for  two  months  on  the  vines. 


BRIGHT    ON     GRAPE    CULTURE.  29 


FOR    LATE   FORCING, 

Bring  forward  the  pots  into  a  bottom  heat,  at  any 
time  previous  to  the  first  of  April,  and  pursue  the  same 
course  as  in  early  forcing. 


COMMON  MANAGEMENT    OF   POTS  IN  THE  COLD  VINERY, 
OR    ORCHARD    HOUSE. 

Bring  the  pots  out  of  the  cellar  about  the  middle  of 
April,  having  top-dressed  them  the  fall  before,  and 
soak  them  in  manure  water.  Bend  down  the  canes,  as 
directed  for  vines  in  forcing,  until  the  buds  are  well 
broken,  say  two  inches  long.  Then  stake  them  upright. 
Use  very  dilute  manure  water  freely,  or  the  special  fer- 
tilizers required  by  the  grape,  increasing  the  strength 
of  the  manures  as  the  vines  gain  vigor. 

Treat  the  vines  in  all  respects  as  before  directed  for 
forcing,  and  for  common  vineries,  as  to  stopping,  ma- 
nuring, &c. 

These  pots  will  fruit  with  other  vines  in  August  and 
September. 

The  pots  may  also,  if  convenient,  be  brought  along 
gradually  in  the  hot-house,  and  fruited  from  time  to 
time  in  the  cold  vinery,  before  the  vines  in  the  borders, 
so  as  to  ripen  at  the  end  of  June,  or  first  of  July.  They 
may  then  be  removed  to  a  cool  room,  and  if  well  ripen- 
ed, and  the  bunches  are  properly  thinned,  they  may  be 


oV  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

kept  till  the  first  of  October  upon  the  vines  in  excellent 
condition. 

Late  grapes  in  pots  in  the  cold  vinery,  such  as  West's 
St.  Peters  and  Muscats,  Lady  Down's  Seedling,  &c,, 
will  not  ripen  before  the  first  of  October.  They  may 
then  be  removed,  about  the  middle  of  October,  to  some 
dry,  airy,  light  room,  and  with  abundance  of  air  in  dry 
weather,  they  may  be  kept  in  fine  condition  till  Christ- 
mas, and  with  care,  till  the  first  of  February  or  March. 

Thus,  by  this  process,  with  a  little  assistance  in  the 
hot-house,  say  two  months  in  spring,  you  may  have  a 
succession  of  grapes  in  pots,  from  the  first  of  August 
till  the  first  of  February,  six  months  in  the  year;  and 
by  pot  vine  culture  in  the  hot-house  and  cold  vinery, 
you  may  have  grapes  every  month  in  the  year,  if  de- 
sired. 


Grape  Culture  in  Vineyards  and 
Gardens. 


The  following  directions  are  intended  for  small  or 
large  vineyards,  or  the  garden  culture  of  grapes  on  trel- 
lises, for  table  use  and  wine. 

SOIL   FOR    THE    GRAPE. 

The  best  soil  for  a  vineyard  is  undoubtedly  a  good 
sandy  loam,  resting  upon  a  gravelly  and  but  slightly 
clayey  sub-soil.  If  the  soil  contain  a  good  deal  of  soft, 
rotten  rock,  mica,  and  especially  limestone,  so  much  the 
better.  Soft  rock  and  mica,  by  their  gradual  decompo- 
sition, furnish  potash,  or  silicate  of  potash,  which,  with 
lime,  constitute  two  of  the  most  important  inorganic 
elements  of  the  grape.  A  good  supply  of  black,  car- 
bonaceous loam,  is  essential  to  the  soil  of  a  vineyard, 
and  if  not  present,  must  be  added  by  sod  and  peat  com- 
posts, or  plenty  of  well  rotted  manure  and  straw  mulch- 
ing. It  is  not  necessary,  under  the  method  of  culture 
recommended  in  this  work,  that  the  soil  should  be 
trenched  three  feet  deep,  or  more,  as  is  advised  by  some 

(31) 


32  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

writers.  Indeed,  if  the  soil  be  good,  and  the  sub-soil 
be  porous  or  well  drained,  we  think  deep  trenching  not 
only  unnecessary  but  positively  injurious  to  the  long- 
continued  health  and  fruitfulness  of  the  vine.  If  the 
vineyard  be  deeply  plowed  and  sub-soiled,  or  otherwise 
worked,  so  as  to  give  eighteen  inches  of  good  mellow, 
well  pulverized  earth,  it  is  all  that  is  required.  We  do 
not  desire  to  invite  the  roots  of  the  grape  down  into  the 
sub-soil.  "We  do  not  consider  it  necessary  to  manure 
the  whole  soil  heavily  before  planting  a  vineyard.  It 
is  a  waste  of  valuable  material.  We  prefer  to  work  the 
manure  into  the  surface  of  the  earth,  from  year  to  year, 
as  needed,  and  thus  invite  the  roots  upwards  into  the 
warm,  rich  surface  soil,  instead  of  downwards  into  the 
cold  sterile  sub-soil. 

We  do  not  consider  a  very  rich  garden  soil  by  any 
means  the  best  for  the  grape.  It  will  cause  too  lux- 
uriant a  growth  of  wood.  We  prefer  to  apply  a  top 
dressing  of  good  well-rotted  stable  manure,  hog  manure, 
or  slaughter-house  off*l,  well  composted  with  peat  or  sod, 
as  a  top  dressing,  in  the  fall  or  early  spring,  before 
using  the  special  manures  recommended  in  another  part 
of  this  work.  This  will  enable  the  vines  to  perfect  a 
good  crop  of  fruit,  or  to  form  the  necessary  amount  of 
wood,  each  year,  without  exciting  a  late  growth  of  suc- 
culent canes,  liable  to  be  winter-killed.  As  to  the  quan- 
tity of  stimulating  manure  required,  we  will  say  that  it 
should  be  about  the  same  as  for  an  acre  of  wheat,  say 
^^^wenty  to  fifty  horse-loads  of  good,  rich,,  carbonaceous 


BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE.  33 

and  ammoniacal  compost  per  acre,  every  year  or  two ; 
or  300  to  600  pounds  of  good  guano,  composted  in  the 
same  way,  or  mixed  with  an  equal  bulk  of  plaster,  well 
moistened,  a  week  or  two  before  using  it. 

The  special  manures  required  for  a  crop  of  grapes,  in 
the  vineyard  and  in  pot  culture,  will  be  described  in 
another  section  of  this  work. 


PREPARATION  OF  THE  SOIL  FOR  GRAPE  VINES. 

The  thorough  preparation  of  the  soil  for  the  grape 
border,  or  the  vineyard,  by  ploughing,  harrowing,  roll- 
ing, spading,  raking,  &c.,  is  probably  of  more  conse- 
quence than  even  that  of  manuring;  and  by  <' thorough 
preparation'^  we  mean  more  than  the  reader,  unless  he 
is  a  skilful  cultivator,  has  any  idea  of.  We  mean 
twelve  ploughings  and  harrowings,  instead  of  two.  We 
mean  one  fall  ploughing,  left  rough  for  winter  freezing. 
We  mean  the  breaking  up  of  all  lumps  of  earth  with  the 
spade ;  the  most  perfect  and  minute  division  of  the  soil 
that  is  possible,  so  that  it  shall  be  left  at  last,  as  light 
as  bolted  flour.  It  is  in  such  a  soil  as  this  that  the 
grape  vine  delights,  a  soil  which  has  been  worked  over 
and  over,  in  a  partially  dry  state,  a  dozen  times  at  least, 
and  allowed  to  sink  into  a  beautiful  consistency  by  its 
own  gravity,  without  any  pressing  or  treading.  We  are 
quite  of  the  opinion,  that  a  good  old  pasture  soil,  where 
no  trees,  grain^  or  vines  have  grown  for  twenty  years,  is 

3 


34  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE    CULTURE. 

the  best  of  all  soils  for  the  grape,  and  that  it  cannot  be 
greatly  improved,  for  the  growth  of  the  vine,  for  a  year 
or  two,  by  any  sort  of  manuring  whatever.  In  such  a 
soil,  the  vine  grows  naturally,  luxuriantly,  and  health- 
fully. It  is  the  best  of  all  soils  for  a  grape  border,  and 
only  when  we  come  to  fruit  the  vine  heavily  do  we  need 
manures  and  fertilizers  to  sustain  it.  It  is  a  great  mis- 
take to  suppose  that  a  grape  vine,  newly  set  in  a  border, 
must  at  once  be  fed  with  an  abundance  of  rich  and 
stimulating  manure.  There  is  no  objection  to  the  appli- 
cation of  an  abundance  of  well  decomposed  sod  or  peat 
compost,  made  with  one-fourth  part  of  stable  manure, 
and  some  leaf  mould  and  bone  dust.  But  people  do  not 
rightly  understand  the  meaning  of  the  phrase  "  well 
decomposed.'^  It  requires  either  the  use  of  powerful 
chemical  agents,  or  a  year  or  two  of  time  to  render  stable 
manure  and  peat  really  "  well  decomposed."  It  must 
be  reduced  to  a  state  analogous  to  that  of  an  old  garden 
soil,  in  which  it  is  impossible  to  distinguish  any  of  the 
various  ingredients  of  which  it  is  composed.  In  this 
condition,  all  the  vegetable  matter  is  converted  into  a 
sort  of  humus,  and  all  inorganic  substances  are  either  in 
a  soluble  state  or  ready  to  become  so ;  the  acids  and 
alkalies  are  in  a  neutral  state,  or  in  the  shape  of  harm- 
less salts ;  moisture  is  abundant,  and  ammonia  is  not 
wanting.  Such  preparation  of  the  soil,  and  such  com- 
posts, suit  the  grape  vine  a  great  deal  better  than  animal 
offal  and  raw  bones,  which  in  vine  borders  we  trust 
have  had  their  day. 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE,        35 

PLANTING,  PRUNING  AND  TRAINING. 

Take  good,  strong,  two-year  old  plants,  set  in  rows 
six  or  eight  feet  apart,  and  two  feet  apart  in  the  rows. 
Set  in  a  slanting  direction,  about  four  inches  under  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  close  up  to  the  young  wood  of  the 
last  year's  growth,  or  bury  two  inches  of  the  young 
wood,  and  cut  down  to  two  eyes. 

When  the  vine  breaks,  select  the  strongest  of  the  two 
eyes,  giving  the  preference  to  the  one  nearest  the  ground, 
and  remove  the  other  bud,  leading  up  only  one  cane. 
Tie.  perpendicularly  on  the  trellis,  and  pinch  in  when 
it  reaches  the  top  wire  or  bar,  say  four  or  five  feet  from 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  The  laterals  will  now  begin 
to  grow.  Stop  all  laterals  back  to  one  joint,  and  con- 
tinue to  stop  in  the  same  way  till  the  middle  of  August, 
leaving  one  new  leaf  on  each  joint  every  time.  If  the 
vine  grows  very  luxuriantly,  the  laterals  may  be  allowed 
to  extend  to  two  or  three  joints,  to  prevent  the  main 
buds  from  bursting,  as  it  is  well  known  that  if  the  main 
buds  be  destroyed,  the  fruit  which  would  otherwise 
be  produced  next  season,  will  be  lost.  After  the  middle 
of  August,  the  vine  may  be  allowed  to  grow  without 
further  care  or  stopping. 

As  soon  as  the  leaves  fall,  cut  back  every  other  cane 
within  two  or  three  eyes  of  the  ground.  Prune  the 
canes  intended  to  be  fruited  the  next  year  to  the  top  of 
the  trellis,  and  cut  back  all  laterals  to  one  inch  :^f  the 
main  stem. 


36  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

For  trellises,  ia  small  vineyards,  we  recommend  posts 
of  good  size,  set  about  ten  or  twelve  feet  apart,  with 
wires  run  lengthwise  the  rows,  say  about  six  to  eight 
inches  apart.  Number  twelve  wire  is  about  the  right 
size  for  economy ;  larger  wire  would  no  doubt  be  better, 
where  the  first  cost  is  not  much  regarded. 

When  cold  weather  sets  in,  it  is  highly  useful,  even 
for  hardy  vines,  to  lay  them  down,  as  you  would  rasp- 
berry vines,  and  cover  them  with  soil.  The  labor  is 
not  great,  in  gardens  and  small  vineyards,  and  the 
benefit  derived  from  such  winter  protection  well  repays 
the  trouble  or  expense.  If  the  winter  is  very  severe, 
the  canes  will  escape  injury,  and  even  if  mild,  they  will 
come  out  much  better  for  this  protection.  Mulch  with 
next  year's  compost. 

FRUITING    THE   VINES. 

In  the  spring,  as  soon  as  the  peach  trees  are  in  bloom, 
uncover  the  fruiting  canes,  and  sling  them  carelessly  for 
a  time,  not  perpendicularly,  but  horizontally  on  the 
lowest  wire,  thus  bending  them  down  till  the  shoots 
have  made  a  growth  of  two  inches.  Then  tie  them  up 
perpendicularly,  with  pieces  of  Cuba  matting.  As  soon 
as  the  fruit  buds  begin  to  break,  there  being  generally 
two  together,  remove  the  weaker  one,  which  is  usually 
the  under  or  lower  one,  select  the  bunch  nearest  the 
main  stem  for  preservation,  and  stop  two  joints  from  the 
bunch.     Then   stop  all  laterals,  leaving  one  new  leaf 


BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE     CULTURE.  37 

every  time,  till  the  fruit  takes  its  second  swelling  after 
forming  stones  (during  the  stoning  process,  the  berries 
swell  but  little,  say  for  four  or  five  weeks,)  then  allow 
the  foliage  to  grow  without  further  check. 

By  this  process  the  leaves  will  grow  very  large,  the 
fruit  will  be  well  shaded,  and  a  good  crop  of  large 
bunches  of  well  colored  and  well  "ripened  fruit  will  ordi- 
narily be  produced. 

During  the  stoning  of  the  fruit,  if  convenient,  water 
the  vines  liberally,  and  apply  liquid  manure,  or  during 
a  shower,  special  grape  fertilizers.  Afterwards  keep 
the  grape  borders  dry. 

After  the  crop  of  fruit  is  gathered,  and  the  leaves 
have  fallen,  the  fruiting  canes  will  be  cut  down,  leaving 
two  eyes  on  the  new  wood. 

The  vine  should  be  allowed  to  bear  only  a  specimen 
of  fruit  the  second  year  after  planting.  The  third  year 
a  fair  crop  may  be  taken,  say  one  bunch  on  each  shoot. 
When  the  vine  is  fully  established,  say  the  fourth  or 
fifth  year,  about  six  pounds  of  fruit  may  be  taken  from 
four  feet  of  cane,  or  twelve  bunches.  More  bunches 
may  be  obtained  from  this  length  of  cane,  but  the  fruit 
will  not  be  so  fine. 

After  some  years,  by  this  process,  the  stem  of  the  old 
cane  will  become  too  long  to  be  fruited  with  advantage, 
and  the  roots  will  have  penetrated  too  deeply  into  the 
soil  to  be  further  worked  with  success.  The  top  of  the 
vine  may  then  be  layered,  and  a  fresh  plant,  of  a  vigor- 
ous character  will  be  speedily  produced,  to  take  the 


38       BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE. 

place  of  the  old  vine,  having  its  roots,  where  all  vine 
roots  should  be,  near  the  surface  of  the  earth. 

THE   GROWING   VINES. 

When  the  vines  intended  to  be  grown  for  the  next 
season's  fruit  break  strong  in  the  spring,  pinch  back  the 
laterals  to  two  or  three  joints,  so  as  not  to  burst  the  main 
eyes,  leaving  one  new  leaf  as  before  directed,  every  time, 
and  stop  the  tip  of  the  vine  at  the  top  of  the  trellis- 
Continue  the  same  process  of  stopping  till  the  middle  of 
August,  when  the  vine  may  be  allowed  to  grow  without 
further  check. 

In  autumn,  cut  back  the  cane  to  within  two  or  three 
inches  of  the  top  wire  or  bar  of  the  trellis,  and  lay  down 
for  winter  protection,  as  before. 

Vines  may  be  grown  in  this  way  tied  to  stakes,  or 
upon  arbors,  and  may  be  allowed  to  extend  to  a  height 
of  six  to  fifteen  feet  if  desired,  so  as  to  cover  an  arbor 
with  foliage,  with  nearly  as  good  results  as  upon  low 
trellises  in  the  vineyard,  though  the  crop  of  fruit  will 
not  be  so  fine  or  so  valuable  as  upon  low  trellises. 

SPECIAL   FEATURES   OF   THIS   SYSTEM. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  we  place  the  vines  only  two 
feet  apart,  thus  growing  more  than  double  the  usual 
number  of  plants  upon  a  given  line  of  border  or  trellis. 
By  this  means  we  are  able  to  cut  down  one-half  the 


BRIGHT     ON    GRAPE     CULTURE.  89 

vines  every  year,  and  still  have  more  fruiting  canes  than 
by  any  other  plan.  The  number  of  roots  is  greatly  in- 
creased, and  hence  the  wood  is  fully  nourished  and  sus- 
tained. Observe,  it  is  not  wood  alone  that  produces 
fruit,  but  roots.  By  our  system  we  double  and  treble 
the  number  of  grape  roots  in  a  border,  and  hence  have 
a  vastly  increased  source  of  supply  for  our  fruit.  The 
ordinary  system,  we  arc  quite  convinced,  taxes  the  roots 
too  severely,  and  hence  you  have  too  frequently,  a  large 
quantity  of  poor,  immature  fruit.  Under  this  system, 
we  have  plenty  of  roots,  and  an  increased  number  of 
vines,  and  manage  so  as  to  let  them  do  all  they  are  able, 
and  no  more.  We  concentrate,  as  before  observed,  the 
whole  strength  of  the  vine  upon  a  small  quantity  of 
fruit,  near  the  ground,  giving  to  each  vine  all  it  can 
perfect,  and  the  result  is  larger  bunches  and  finer  fruit, 
of  higher  flavor,  and  a  larger  and  surer  crop  on  the 
same  space  of  ground. 

The  rest  from  fruiting  which  the  vines  obtain,  under 
this  system,  every  other  year,  does  much  to  keep  them  in 
a  healthy  state,  and  does  not  exhaust  their  resources  for 
forming  fruit  so  rapidly.  It  is  a  sort  of  fallow,  giving 
time  for  the  collection  and  elaboration  of  the  elements 
of  fruit,  for  the  ensuing  season,  which  may  almost  be 
supposed  to  be  drawn  from  the  earth  and  the  atmos- 
phere, during  this  season  of  rest,  and  stored  up  in  the 
cells  and  tissues  of  the  vine,  for  future  use.  Or,  if  this 
be  too  fimciful  an  idea,  unsustained  by  vegetable  phy- 
siology, or  practical  science,  still  we  may  say  that  the 


40  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

soil,  during  this  period  of  rest,  lias  time  to  decompose, 
and  to  develope  the  elements  of  fruit,  and  to  collect  such 
elements  from  the  atmosphere,  from  manure  and  from 
rains;  and  is  better  prepared  to  present  these  materials 
in  a  soluble  form  to  the  roots  of  the  vine,  when  demanded 
by  the  next  crop  of  fruit. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  theory  or  the  philosophy  of 
the  facts,  we  know  that  the  vine,  when  cultivated  upon 
this  system,  will  yield  larger  and  finer  crops  of  grapes, 
upon  the  same  extent  of  grdhnd,  than  upon  any  other 
that  we  have  ever  seen  practised,  and  the  fruit  ripens 
much  earlier,  which  last  is  a  point  of  no  little  import- 
ance. 

It  will  be  observed,  that  a  vine  may  be  grown,  upon 
this  system,  fifteen  feet  in  length,  upon  arbors,  or  in  the 
vinery,  if  desired;  but  for  vineyard  culture,  or  in  small 
gardens,  we  advise  trellises  only  four  to  six  feet  high, 
on  account  partly  of  the  greater  ease  with  which  such 
trellises  may  be'erected  and  tended,  though  we  are  quite 
convinced  that  four  to  six  feet  of  vine  is  enough  for  the 
roots,  under  ordinary  culture,  and  that  a  better  crop  will 
be  produced  upon  that  length  of  wood  than  upon  longer 
canes.  Under  higher  culture,  and  with  extra  care,  in 
the  cold  grapery,  longer  canes  of  the  foreign  grapes  may 
be  employed,  as  will  be  noticed  in  the  proper  place.  So, 
also,  on  arbors,  where  shade  is  more  of  an  object  than 
fruit,  the  canes  may  be  allowed  to  run  ten  or  fifteen 
feet  to  the  top  of  the  trellis  or  arbor.  But  where  you 
wish  for  a  good  crop  of  choice,  well-colored,  and  well- 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.        41 

ripened  fruit,  low  trellises  and  short  canes,  (say  three 
to  five  feet  high,)  grown  upon  this  single  stem  renewal 
system,  will  give  the  best  results. 

It  is  so  rare  a  thing  to  see  first  rate  Isabella  grapes, 
that  few  persons  know  to  what  perfection  this  grape 
may  be  brought  by  high  culture  and  proper  concen- 
tration. Much  may  be  done  to  perfect  this  grape,  by 
the  system  of  management  which  we  have  described, 
but  still  more  by  the  judicious  and  scientific  application 
of  special  fertilizers,  as  will  be  described  in  the  chapter 
on  Soils  and  Manures.  As  the  pea  may  be  made  more 
melting,  and  the  potato  more  mealy  by  the  use  of  lime, 
and  the  strawberry  more  delicious  by  the  use  of  tan,  so 
the  grape  may  be  rendered  more  luscious,  vinous,  and 
sugary,  by  the  application  of  proper  fertilizers,  as  well 
as  larger  and  more  beautiful  to  the  eye. 

PLANTING    CUTTINGS,    STAKES,    ETC. 

Large  or  small  vineyards,  or  borders  for  arbors,  may 
of  course  be  planted  with  cuttings,  or  with  transplanted 
cuttings  started  in  a  nursery,  or  with  plants  struck  from, 
single  eyes  in  pots,  and  trained  to  stakes  instead  of 
trellises. 

It  is  unnecessrry  for  us  to  describe  all  these  processe? 
in  detail,  as  we  presume  no  one  will  undertake  grape 
culture  without  being  familiar  with  these  elementary 
matters ;  or  if  they  desire  such  information,  may  easiJy 
find  it  in  any  general  work  on  the  grape. 


42  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

We  will  only  say  that  in  planting  cuttings,  we  prefer 
slips  of  only  two  joints  or  eyes,  instead  of  cuttings  four 
or  five  joints  long.  We  set  the  short  cutting  with  only 
one  bud  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  which  makes 
a  plant  with  a  short  root,  whereas  a  cutting  four  or  five 
joints  long,  plunged  a  foot  or  more  deep  into  the  soil, 
forms  its  '^  foot  roots/^  as  they  are  styled,  too  far  below 
the  best  part  of  the  soil,  and  never  will  form  so  good  a 
vine  as  if  cut  shorter,  and  rooted  entirely  within  four 
inches  of  the  surface.  Our  reasons  for  shallow  planting 
will  be  given  in  full  in  another  part  of  this  work. 


MULCHING  VINEYARDS. 

Under  the  system  of  shallow  planting  recommended 
in  this  work,  it  is  indispensable  that  the  soil  of  vineyards 
and  grape  borders  should  be  constantly  mulched,  espe- 
cially in  summer;  and  indeed  under  any  system  of  plant- 
ing in  any  part  of  the  United  States  where  the  Catawba 
will  ripen,  it  will  be  found  highly  useful  to  shade  the 
ground  in  some  way  from  the  direct-  rays  of  the  sun,  in 
July  and  August.  Any  kind  of  litter  will,  of  course, 
answer  this  purpose ;  charcoal,  or  tan  composted  with 
lime,  would  be  very  good ;  but  the  best  mulch,  beyond 
all  question,  would  be  the  leaves  of  trees. 

To  mulch  an  acre  of  vineyard  with  any  of  these  sub- 
stances efi'ectually,  would  cost  almost  as  much  as  to 
manure  it  with  the  best  of  fertilizers;  and  hence  we  can 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.       43 

scarcely  expect  it  will  be  done  unless  some  cheap  means 
of  accomplishing  this  object  can  be  suggested. 

One  very  cheap  and  efficient  means  of  mulching  a 
vineyard^  which  we  have  practised  to  some  extent  and 
find  quite  satisfactory,  is  to  plant  in  a  drill  between  the 
rows  of  vines,  the  Southern  Field  Pea  or  Cow  Pea,  a 
leguminous  plant  very  much  employed  in  Virginia  and 
other  Southern  States,  as  a  green  crop  to  renovate  worn- 
out  soils,  by  ploughing  under  while  in  flower.  This 
plant  will  grow  in  any  soil,  if  supplied  with  lime,  and 
will  endure  the  severest  drouth  without  flagging.  It 
sends  its  roots  very  deeply  into  the  sub-soil,  and  obtains 
the  larger  portion  of  its  nutriment  from  the  atmosphere. 
It  has  a  stalk  almost  as  large  and  firm  as  that  of  a  to- 
mato vine,  and  spreads  widely  over  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  In  ninety  days  it  produces  as  much  mulching 
material,  and  as  much  green  matter  of  tops  and  roots, 
for  manure,  as  an  acre  of  good  clover,  and  of  precisely 
the  same  character  and  value,  either  for  manure  or  food. 
It  is  well  known,  we  presume,  to  all  intelligent  readers 
of  modern  agricultural  literature,  that  the  stalk  and 
vine  of  the  pea  is  richer  in  nitrogen,  (or  ammoniacal 
substances,)  and  alkaline  salts,  than  the  best  of  wheat 
or  rye  straw,  and  hence  must  form  a  very  valuable  ma- 
terial for  mulching  or  manure. 

Our  method  of  planting  the  pea  is  this  :  we  culti- 
vate the  spaces  between  the  rows  of  vines  very  lightly 
with  the  horse-hoe,  in  the  spring,  and  about  the  first  of 
June  open  a  very  shallow  furrow  with  a  small  plow,  in 


44       BRIGHT  ON  GRATE  CULTURE. 

eacli  space,  and  drop  the  peas  in  this  furrow  or  drill,  so 
as  to  form  hills  about  two  or  three  feet  apart  in  the 
drill,  say  ten  or  fifteen  peas  in  a  hill,  and  cover  with 
the  plow  or  hoe.  Afterwards  cultivate  a  little  to  keep 
down  weeds,  just  as  you  would  ordinary  peas  or  corn. 
It  takes  about  half  a  bushel,  or  less,  of  seed  to  plant  an 
acre  of  vineyard  in  this  way,  and  the  seed  costs  about 
81.25  per  bushel  in  Baltimore. 

This  pea  vine  makes  a  very  perfect  shade  for  the 
roots  of  the  grape,  while  growing,  during  July  and  Au- 
gust, and  when  cut  down,  just  as  it  comes  into  flower, 
in  the  early  part  of  September^  furnishes  a  large  quan- 
tity of  valuable  litter  for  mulching  and  manure.  It 
does  not  exhaust  the  soil,  because  it  returns  to  it  more 
of  carbon  and  nitrogen  than  it  abstracts  from  it;  and  it 
only  takes  potash,  lime,  &c.,  from  the  sub-soil,  to  return 
it  to  the  top-soil  in  a  state  better  fitted  for  the  food  of 
plants.  We  have  used  the  kind  of  pea  known  as  the 
clay^  or  cow  pea,  and  also  the  hlach  eye  pea.  The  early 
hlach  is  said  to  be  the  best  for  a  northern  climate. 

"We  consider  this  method  of  mulching  vineyards  very 
economical,  and  amply  sufficient  to  protect  the  roots  of 
vines  from  excessive  heat  and  drouth.  Since  we  com- 
menced this  practice,  we  have  learned  that  a  similar 
method  of  mulching  has  been  employed  in  France  for 
many  years.  In  Redding's  Treatise  on  Modern  Wines, 
published  in  London,  in  1833,  he  states  that,  ^^  in  some 
parts  of  France,  lupines  (a  kind  of  pea)  are  sown  among 
the  vines,  and  buried  when  in  flower  around  their  roots, 


BRIGHT    ON     GRAPE     CULTURE.  45 

where  they  decay )  a  practice  found  to  be  of  singular 
utility  to  the  crops."  Again,  he  says,  of  vineyards  in 
the  island  of  Madeira,  "  some  growers  use  animal  ma- 
nures, which  others  reject,  and  as  the  French  do,  they 
sow  lupines  among  the  vines,  and  bury  them  at  their 
roots.'' 

In  some  of  the  letters  written  by  Mr.  Longworth,  of 
Cincinnati,  on  the  rot  in  grapes,  he  states  that  in  seve- 
ral instances,  vineyards  which  were  planted  on  dry, 
porous  soil,  and  accidentally  mulched  xoith  loeeds,  es- 
caped the  rot,  while  vineyards  in  the  immediate  vicinity, 
which  were  kept  clean,  and  not  mulched,  suffered  se- 
verely. These  passages  will  be  found  in  Mr.  Buch- 
anan's work  on  the  grape. 

We  believe  that  only  by  shallow  planting  and  good 
mulching,  can  we  maintain  the  continued  healthfulness 
of  vineyards,  while  by  trenching,  heavy  manuring,  and 
deep  planting,  we  shall  be  sure,  sooner  or  later,  to  in- 
duce rot  and  mildew,  and  the  final  destruction  of  the 
vines. 


Vines  in  City  Yards. 


Vines  on  trellises  in  city  yards  and  small  village 
gardens,  may  be  most  conveniently  and  profitably  ma- 
naged upon  the  single  stem  renewal  system  of  training 
herein  recommended.  The  borders  for  such  vines  in 
the  city  should,  if  possible,  be  formed  of  brick-work, 
detached  from  the  adjacent  cold,  compact  and  useless 
soil  of  the  yard,  and  underdrained  by  tiles  conducted 
into  a  cess-pool  or  culvert,  in  order  to  render  them 
warmer  and  dryer,  spring  and  fall ;  and  a  mulching  of 
litter  in  summer  will  greatly  assist  in  retaining  mois- 
ture. Twice  the  number  of  vines  will  of  course  be 
grown  as  under  the  ordinary  system,  and  only  half  of 
them  fruited  each  year.  Vines  so  managed  will  make 
an  astonishing  growth  in  a  single  season,  often  running 
to  the  height  of  the  tallest  trellis,  if  well  supplied  with 
appropriate  fertilizers ;  while  the  foliage  of  the  fruiting 
and  the  growing  canes  will  afi'ord  quite  as  much  shade' 
as  vines  grown  with  long  branches  in  the  ordinary  way, 
and  they  can  be  much  more  easily  and  systematically 
trained,  and  produce  more  and  better  fruit.  Vines  on 
city  trellises,  allowed  to  ramble  at  will  for  the  sake  of 
shade,  and  sparingly  fed  with  proper  nutriment,  seldom 

(46) 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.        47 

fruit  for  many  years,  and  even  wlieu  tliey  do  bear,  the 
fruit  is  of  little  value.  But  when  grown  upon  our  sys- 
tem, with  a  good  exposure,  they  will  not  only  make 
ample  shade,  and  present  a  pleasing  object  to  the  eye, 
but  they  can  be  made  to  produce  large  crops  of  the 
most  delicious  grapes  every  year. 

For  the  method  of  training  adapted  to  city  trellises, 
see  the  section  upon  the  common  vineyard.  The  only 
variation  that  should  be  made  in  trainino-  for  the  hio;h 
trellis,  is  this :  the  vine  should  not  be  stopped  at  the 
height  of  four  or  five  feet,  but  should  be  allowed  to  run 
to  the  full  height  of  the  trellis,  and  if  the  wood  to  the 
full  height  should  not  happen  to  be  strong  and  solid, 
the  first  season,  it  should  be  cut  back  to  the  strong  wood 
before  fruiting  the  first  time.  After  the  vine  gets 
older,  it  will  make  strong  wood  to  the  full  height  of  the 
tallest  trellis,  in  one  season,  provided  it  be  well  fed  with 
proper  fertilizers.  We  think  this  system  of  training 
for  city  trellises,  will  be  much  admired  when  once  it  has 
been  tried. 


VINES    ON    ARBORS. 

Vines  on  arbors,  in  villa  and  cottage  lots,  and  small 
gardens,  may  be  trained  upon  our  system  with  great 
satisfaction  and  advantage.  Plant  the  vines  two  feet 
or  less  apart,  and  train  with  a  single  stem,  as  in  the 
vineyard,  and  fruit  every  other  cane  each  year.  If 
the  border  be  good,  and  well  fertilized,  the  vines  will 


48  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

run  to  the  top  of  the  arbor  in  a  single  season,  and  afford 
immediate  shade  and  abundance  of  fruit,  far  surpassing, 
in  respect  to  beauty  and  profit,  vines  grown  in  the  com- 
mon way. 

Vines  on  old  arbors  may  be  renewed  by  layers  from 
the  old  stock,  and  trained  upon  this  system  with  great 
ease  and  success,  entirely  renovating  the  old  vines,  and 
changing  the  system  of  culture  in  one  year,  to  the  great 
delight  of  the  owner. 

A  very  pretty  arbor  may  be  made  upon  the  south 
side  of  a  barn  or  house,  by  planting  posts  two  feet  high, 
say  four  or  five  feet  from  the  wall  or  barn,  and  run- 
ning rafters  from  these  posts  to  the  barn  or  house,  just 
like  the  rafters  of  a  vinery.  Strain  wires  lengthwise  of 
this  arbor,  plant  and  train  the  vines  on  the  inside  of 
the  rafters,  and  you  have  a  sort  of  out  of  door  vinery, 
(minus  the  glass,)  a  very  novel  and  interesting  object, 
and  a  very  admirable  method  of  growing  grapes.  The 
bunches  of  grapes,  when  vines  are  trained  on  this  plan, 
will  hang  under  the  foliage,  affording  a  degree  of  shade 
which  is  very  useful  to  them,  and  a  current  of  cool, 
moist  air  will  constantly  pass  through  the  arbor,  which 
is  highly  beneficial  to  the  vines.  For  the  Catawba 
grape  especially,  this  would  be  an  excellent  method ; 
and  if  the  borders  were  slightly  elevated,  and  well 
drained,  so  as  to  be  easily  dried  off  in  the  fall,  a  sure 
crop  of  fine,  well  ripened  grapes  might  be  obtained, 
every  year,  from  such  an  arbor,  at  least  as  far  north  as 
Philadelphia.     Farther  north,  it  might  be  advisable  to 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.       49 

provide  some  protection  against  frost,  sucli  as  an  awn- 
ing, which  could  be  easily  contrived  for  such  a  lean-to 
arbor.  And  here  we  may  observe  that  it  will  be  found 
of  great  advantage,  especially  in  working  upon  our  sys- 
tem, always  to  bury  your  canes  intended  for  fruit  the 
next  year,  in  winter,  and  to  mulch  well  in  very  cold 
weather. 

Arbors  may  also  be  made  with  roofs  pitching  both 
ways,  like  a  spar-roofed  vinery,  instead  of  oval,  with 
great  economy  and  advantage,  upon  which  vines  will 
grow  and  fruit  upon  the  one  stem  renewal  system  with 
great  success. 

Vines  may  also  be  grown,  upon  this  system,  tied  to 
small  stakes,  say  five  or  six  feet  high,  set  anywhere  in  a 
small  lawn  or  garden,  just  as  you  would  set  out  a  dwarf 
cherry  or  currant  bush,  and  much  fruit  may  be  obtain- 
ed, of  excellent  quality,  while  the  vines  will  form  very 
pleasing  objects  in  your  grounds.  Of  course,  two  vines 
should  be  planted  to  each  stake,  one  for  fruiting,  and 
one  for  growing  wood;  and  if  you  please,  you  may  train 
them  upon  small  pieces  of  wood  nailed  across  the  stakes, 
or  far  prettier,  upon  the  stump  of  a  tree,  or  upon  any 
sort  of  upright  fancy  trellises  that  your  inventive  faculty 
may  suggest.  This  is  a  method  of  planting  and  training 
well  adapted -to  any  small  piece  of  vacant  ground  in  any 
yard  or  garden,  where  formal  arbors  or  trellises  would 
be  inadmissible;  and  is  quite  as  good  a  plan  for  obtain- 
ing fruit  as  any  other,  and  more  novel  and  interesting. 

1 


Eenewing  an  Old  Vine,  or  Arbor  of 
Vines. 


Many  persons  Iiave  old  vines,  which,  from  being 
badly  pruned  and  trained,  fail  to  give  either  good  or 
abundant  fruit,  and  yet  the  owners  are  loth  to  dig  them 
up,  because  they  afford  much  shade,  and  they  are  fear- 
ful that  they  may  not  succeed  in  producing  other  vines 
more  systematic  in  form,  or  more  productive.  Such 
persons  often  ask  us  if  they  can  bring  their  old  vines 
into  our  system  of  pruning,  with  any  success.  We  an- 
swer, yes.  Our  method  of  doing  it  is  this  :  we  prepare 
a  new  border  alongside  of  the  old  vine,  and  layer  all 
the  wood  that  can  be  made  available,  burying  the  body 
of  the  cane  some  six  inches  deep,  along  the  border,  and 
bringing  up  the  branches  and  young  wood  as  layers,  at 
points  where  we  desire  to  locate  the  new  vines.  The 
whole  vine  may  be  coiled  up  like  a  spiral  spring,  and 
buried  at  one  spot,  and  a  layer  or  layers  may  then  be 
brought  up,  within  a  small  space  of  ground,  from  the 
young  wood  ;  or  the  branches  may  be  carried  any  dis- 
tance under  ground,  and  brought  up  wherever  desired. 
The  roots  of  the  old  vine  should  at  the  same  time  be 
abundantly  supplied  with  appropriate  fertilizers,  to  pro- 

(50) 


BRIGHT     ON    GRAPE     CULTURE.  51 

mote  the  rapid  formation  of  wood ;  and  the  j.'irowth 
which  may  be  obtained  in  a  single  season,  by  this  plan, 
is  often  truly  surprising. 

Other  methods  of  obtaining  layers,  without  burying 
the  whole  cane,  will  readily  occur  to  persons  acquainted 
with  the  nature  of  the  vine,  and  it  is  therefore  unneces- 
sary to  describe  them. 

As  soon  as  the  new  layers  are  well  rooted,  say  at  the 
beginning  of  the  second  season,  they  may  be  separated 
from  the  old  vine,  and  thus  a  great  number  of  young 
and  vigorous  plants  may  be  obtained,  in  place  of  one 
old,  barren,  and  almost  worthless  cane.  We  have  re- 
newed several  old  vines  and  arbors  in  this  way,  produc- 
ing twenty  or  thirty  new,  healthy,  fruitful  canes,  ten 
and  fifteen  feet  in  length,  in  a  single  season,  where  be- 
fore existed  only  an  old,  tangled  mass  of  barren  wood, 
unsightly  and  useless,  even  for  purposes  of  shade,  to 
the  great  delight  and  astonishment  of  the  owner.  Our 
system  of  pruning  gives  as  much  shade  on  arbors  as 
any  other,  and  vastly  more  fruit,  of  an  infinitely  supe- 
rior quality.  If  shade  high  up  ol  the  trellis  or  arbor 
be  an  object,  the  vine  need  not  be  cut  back  so  low  as 
for  the  vineyard,  but  its  fruiting  wood  may  be  taken 
from  any  height  that  may  be  desired. 


Ohio  German  System  of  Grape  Culture. 


GROWING  FRUIT  AND  WOOD  ON  QHE  SAME  STEM. — 
BOWING  VINES. 

The  "  Ohio  German  System"  of  Grape  Culture  as  it 
ha£  been  called,  which  is  practised  in  the  vineyards  near 
Cincinnati,  consists  in  growing  one  or  more  fruiting 
shoots,  o''  bows,  and  one  or  more  new  shoots  for  the 
next  season's  fruiting  bows,  in  a  single  year,  on  the  same 
stem. 

Now  it  is  a  sort  of  law  of  nature  that  you  cannot  suc- 
cessfully grow  wood  and  fruit  at  the  same  time;  or  at 
least  it  is  true  that  the  stimulating  manures  which  best 
promote  a  growth  of  wood  or  vine,  are  not  favorable  to 
fruit,  and  those  manures  which  best  promote  the  forma- 
tion of  fruit,  do  not  excite  an  active  growth  of  wood. 
A  heavy  crop  of  fruit  always  checks  the  growth  of  a 
tree  or  vine,  and  in  many  fruit  trees  renders  them  sterile 
the  next  year.  Hence,  we  argue  that  it  is  not  wise  to 
attempt  to  grow  a  heavy  crop  of  fruit,  and  the  next 
year's  wood  on  the  same  vine,  or  from  the  same  grape 
root. 

Under  our  system,  we  concentrate  the  whole  force  of 

(r,2) 


BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE     CULTURE.  53 

the  grape  root,  for  one  year,  upon  the  fruit,  and  aid  this 
if  you  please,  by  special  manure  directed  to  that  object. 
The  next  year  we  cut  down  the  entire  vine,  and  give  it 
time  to  rest  and  form  new  wood,  stimulating  it,  if  need 
b-;,  by  proper  means,  to  accomplish  that  object.  This 
we  think  is  far  the  best  method. 

The  halving  of  vines  we  consider  quite  unnecessary. 
We  agree  with  Dr.  C.  W.  Grant,  the  eminent  grape 
grower  of  lona,  New  York,  who  says  that  ^'  the  disposi- 
tion of  the  vine  is  strongly  upward,  and  under  ordinary 
circumstances  will  not  continue  to  make  bearing-wood, 
for  a  succession  of  seasons,  through  a  greater  perpendi- 
cular height  than  four  feet,  and  even  within  these  limits 
the  upper  portions  will  show  the  greatest  vigor  of 
growth,  and  the  lower  the  best  flavor,  but  not  the  largest 
or  the  most  beautiful  bunches. '^ 

The  Lowing  plan  is  adopted  at  Cincinnati  to  prevent 
the  too  free  growth  of  the  top  of  the  vine,  and  to  equalize 
the  flow  of  sap  to  all  parts  of  the  cane. 

We  accomplish  the  same  object,  as  will  be  seen  by 
reference  to  our  directions  for  the  management  of  vines 
in  the  vineyard  and  in  pot  culture,  by  slinging  the  vines 
in  the  spring,  in  a  horizontal  or  bowing  form,  for  a  short 
time,  till  the  lower  buds  break  and  form  shoots  two  or 
three  inches  long,  when  the  vines  may  be  raised  up  and 
trained  perpendicularly  without  any  injurious  eff'oct 
upon  the  lower  shoots.  Once  the  lower  eyes  get  a  good 
start  they  will  obtain  suflficient  sap  to  form  good  fruit, 
ajid  the  natural  tendency  tc  excessive  growth  in  the  top 


54  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

will  be  so  effectually  checked  as  to  render  continued 
bowing  quite  unnecessary. 

In  tbe  vinery  or  hot-bouse,  all  first  class  gardeners 
bend  down  the  canes  in  spring  till  the  lower  eyes  break 
strongly,  before  tieing  up  the  vines  to  the  trellis,  in 
order  to  ensure  an  equal  diffusion  of  sap  to  all  parts  of 
the  cane.  This  is  all  the  bowing  that  is  really  neces- 
sary. 

Our  objection  to  the  bowing  plan  is,  that  the  vine 
cannot  be  so  easily  and  effectually  secured  to  the  stake 
or  trellis,  and  is  more  liable  to  be  blown  about  by  the 
wind,  to  the  injury  of  the  fruit,  while  it  has  a  rough, 
straggling  appearance,  and  does  not  form  so  pleasing  an 
object  to  the  spectator,  as  when  trained  in  an  erect 
position . 


The  Cold  Vinerj'. 


For  the  cold  viuerj,  as  well  as  the  hot-house,  we 
recommend,  as  of  the  first  importance,  small,  shallow, 
detached  borders,  (which  we  will  immediately  proceed 
to  describe)  altogether  inside  of  the  house.  The  com- 
mon border  may,  however,  be  used  if  preferred. 

The  inside  border,  at  first,  if  true  economy  be  con- 
sulted, should  be  made  only  two  feet  deep  and  three  feet 
wide,  resting  upon  a  concrete  bottom  with  six  inches  of 
small,  rough  stones,  or  oyster-shell  drainage  above  it. 
Between  the  outer  edge  of  the  border  and  the  front  wall 
of  the  vinery,  there  should  be  a  space  of  say  four  inches, 
formed  by  four  inch  brick  work,  to  assist  in  keeping  the 
frost  out  of  the  border.  This  space  is  kept  open  at  the 
top  to  admit  warm  air  from  the  house,  and  connected 
below  with  pipes,  or  tiles,  or  conductors  constructed  of 
brick,  running  through  the  drainage,  to  conduct  the 
warm  air  under  the  border.  This  open  space  in  front 
of  the  border,  and  the  conductors  of  tiles  or  bricks,  serve 
not  only  the  purpose  of  keeping  frost  out  of  the  border, 

(55) 


5G  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

but  also,  at  all  seasons  to  equalize  the  temperature  of 
the  border  and  the  house,  which  is  of  great  importance 
in  vine  culture.  These  air  conductors  are  to  be  laid  in 
the  drainage,  above  the  concrete,  and  may  be  formed 
by  dry  brickwork,  making  a  tube  four  inches  in  diame- 
ter, or  by  four  inch  tiles,  connecting  with  the  open 
space  between  the  border  and  the  front  wall,  and  open- 
ing into  the  house  on  the  inner  edge  of  the  border, 
there  passing  through  a  wall  of  dry  brick  or  stone,  or 
even  boards,  merely  to  keep  the  inside  edge  of  the 
border  in  place. 

The  border,  when  constructed  on  this  plan,  will  be 
entirely  detached  from  the  soil,  both  inside  and  outside 
of  the  house.  It  will  rest  upon  drainage,  laid  upon 
solid,  impervious  concrete,  and  will  have  a  wall,  de- 
tached from  the  house,  on  the  front  and  back.  It  will 
be  situated  like  the  earth  in  a  pot  or  orchard-house  tub, 
and  will  be,  in  fact,  one  immense  pot  or  box,  perfectly 
confining  the  roots  of  the  vines  within  its  own  limits. 

We  feel  entirely  satisfied  that  this  is  the  best  method 
now  known  of  constructing  a  vine  border.  The  shallow 
border,  entirely  inside  of  the  house,  is  now  beginning  to 
be  employed  by  some  of  the  best  grape  growers  in  Europe 
and  America.  The  atmospheric  conductors,  though  not 
entirely  original  with  the  writer,  have  been  more  largely 
employed  and  advocated  by  us  than  by  any  other  writer 
or  practical  grape  grower  within  our  knowledge. 


BRTGIIT    ON     GRAPE    CULTURE.  57 

ATJlIOSrn  ERIC    CONDUCTORS. 

The  philosophy  of  Atmospheric  Conductors,  undet 
vine  borders,  we  have  presented  in  various  articles  pub- 
lished in  the  horticultural  journals.  The  following  is 
from  an  article  on  this  subject,  which  we  contributed  to 
the  Philadelphia  Gardener's  Monthly,  for  January, 
1859  :_ 

<'  One  of  the  chief  points  in  the  management  of  vin- 
eries, as  all  intelligent  gardeners  are  aware,  is  to  control 
and  regulate  the  temperature  of  the  borders,  so  as  to 
give  the  roots  an  early  start  in  the  spring,  and  to  put 
them  into  a  state  of  repose  early  in  the  fall.  If  the 
growth  of  roots  be  too  luxuriant  in  the  fall,  in  conse- 
quence of  excessive  heat  in  the  border,  immature  roots 
and  wood  will  be  the  result,  greatly  to  the  detriment  of 
the  vine  the  ensuing  season.  So  if  the  vine,  by  frost, 
prematurely  lose  its  foliage,  then  the  main  roots  can- 
not be  matured,  and  a  good  <  break'  of  buds  cannot  be 
expected  in  the  spring.  There  must  be  a  perfect  unity 
of  action  between  the  upper  extremity  of  the  vine  and 
its  ^oots,  to  ensure  the  highest  degree  of  success  in  grape 
culture. 

"  In  the  fall,  as  we  all  know,  the  temperature  of  the 
atmosphere  will  often  fall  to  40°  Fahrenheit,  while  the 
earth  two  feet  under  the  surface  is  at  65°.  On  or 
about  the  15th  of  November,  1857,  the  thermometer 
fell  to  17°,  and  the  foliage  of  many  vines  in  cold  houses 
was  suddenly  cut  off,  while  the  bottom  heat  of  the  bor- 


58       BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE. 

ders  was  at  60°.  Immature  roots,  which  could  not  be 
expected  to  keep,  were  produced.  Such  vines  must, 
of  course,  ^ break'  weakly  in  the  spring;  their  great 
feeders  are  mainly  destroyed,  and  they  must  create 
them  again  in  the  spring  before  they  can  make  strong 
growth. 

^<-  In  April  the  solar  heat  is  often  75°,  while  the  tem- 
perature of  the  earth  is  little  higher  than  the  freezing 
point.  In  such  cases,  the  canes  are,  of  course,  unduly 
excited  into  action,  while  the  roots  are  comparatively 
dormant,  and  the  natural  balance  of  the  vine  or  the  nice 
unity  of  action  between  the  root  and  the  wood,  which  it 
is  so  important  to  preserve,  is  destroyed. 

^'  To  attain  the  most  perfect  success  in  vine  culture, 
it  would  be  desirable  to  keep  the  border  heat,  in  spring, 
about  ten  degrees  above  the  solar  heat,  and  to  reduce 
the  temperature  of  the  border  in  autumn  in  the  same 
proportion.  As  soon  as  the  grape  crop  is  matured,  we 
should  hasten,  by  all  proper  means,  the  ripening  of 
roots  and  wood, — the  border  should  be  dried  and  cooled, 
and  the  roots  thrown  into  a  state  of  repose.  As  soon  as 
the  roots  cease  their  functional  action,  the  upper  wood 
will  be  in  a  state  of  rest.  So,  in  the  spring,  a  quick 
heat  in  the  border  will  start  the  roots  at  the  same  time 
with  the  canes,  and  a  healthy  growth  of  roots  and  wood 
must  be  the  result  of  such  harmonious  action.'' 


BRiaiTT    ON     GTwYPE    CULTURE.  59 

INSIDE   BORDERS, 

Are  far  preferable  to  borders  extending  partly  beyond 
the  front  wall  outside.  Inside  the  house,  in  detached 
borders,  we  have  the  most  perfect  control  of  the  vine, 
as  to  moisture,  protection  from  frost,  and  the  extent  to 
which  the  roots  may  be  permitted  to  extend  downward. 
The  expense  of  construction  is  much  less,  and  the  labor 
of  covering  and  protecting  them  is  saved.  Large,  deep 
borders  are  no  longer  advocated  by  the  best  grape 
growers,  and  hence  there  is  no  necessity  for  extending 
them  beyond  the  limits  of  the  house.  All  the  plans 
which  we  shall  present,  for  the  culture  of  the  vine 
in  graperies,  form  part  of  one  entire  system  of  improved 
construction  and  management,  which,  it  is  believed, 
renders  growing  of  grapes  under  glass  much  more 
economical  and  successful  than  by  the  old  methods. 

Before  concreting  the  bottom  of  the  border,  remove 
the  soil  to  the  depth  required,  and  level  the  border  so 
as  to  descend  about  nine  inches  each  way  to  the  centre 
line,  forming  it  so  as  to  open  into  a  drain  built  of  bricks 
and  mortar  along  the  centre  of  the  house,  six  inches 
square,  falling  below  the  concrete,  but  constructed  so  as 
to  unite  closely  with  it.  That  is  to  say,  the  draina^'e  of 
the  border,  passing  down  the  surface  of  the  concrete, 
will  fall  into  a  drain  built  of  bricks  and  mortar,  running 
along  the  centre  line,  and  falling  six  inches  below  it. 
The  drain  will  of  course  have  a  proper  fall  from  one  end 


60       BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE. 

of  the  house  to  the  other,  and  will  discharge  its  contents, 
if  any,  by  a  waste  pipe  carried  outside  the  house. 

Before  laying  the  concrete,  well  ram  the  bottom  of 
the  border,  smooth  and  solid,  and  construct  the  middle 
drain. 

CONCRETE. 

We  presume  almost  every  body  engaged  in  rural 
aifairs,  knows  how  to  make  concrete,  but  all  may  not 
know  how  to  make  it  easily  and  perfectly.  Our  plan  is 
this.  We  first  construct  a  mortar-bed,  of  sufficient  size, 
of  boards.  Then  we  slack  one  or  more  barrows  of  lime, 
as  required,  in  a  lime  box  or  tub,  and  add  water  till  it 
is  reduced  to  the  condition  of  thick  cream  or  ordinary 
whitewash.  Now  draw  or  dip  off  the  lime  water,  free 
from  unslacked  lumps  or  stone,  and  pour  it  into  the 
mortar-bed,  first  having  placed  around  its  edges  a  layer 
of  sand  to  keep  the  lime  water  from  running  ofi".  Then 
shovel  or  wheel  into  the  bed  a  quantity  of  course  sand, 
gravel,  and  small,  rough  stones,  sufficient  to  soak  up 
nearly  all  the  lime  water.  Commence  at  the  outer  edge 
of  the  heap,  and  hoe  down  and  mix  the  mass,  with  a 
mason's  hoe,  working  it  up  a  little  into  good,  coarse  mor- 
tar, and  tempering  it  with  more  lime  water  if  needed,  and 
as  it  is  hoed  down,  shovel  it  over  into  a  heap  on  the  outer 
edge  of  the  bed.  Now  it  is  ready  for  use.  Let  a  laborer 
shovel  this  coarse  mortar  into  a  barrow,  and  deposit  it 
upon  the  bottom  of  the  border  in  a  layer  about  two  or 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.       61 

three  inches  thick,  smoothing  it  off  with  a  hoe,  trowel, 
or  anj  other  convenient  instrument.  If  made  with  good, 
fresh  lime  and  sand,  gravel  and  stones,  free  from  loam, 
and  pretty  rich  with  lime,  it  will  set  in  twenty-four 
hours,  and  in  a  few  days  become  very  hard,  and  finally 
quite  impervious  to  water  or  the  roots  of  plants.  If  the 
lime  be  slacked  in  the  mortar-bed,  and  not  screened 
clear  of  lumps,  the  concrete  will  be  much  less  perfect; 
and  if  the  workmen  attempt  to  wet  the  heap  of  sand  and 
stones,  by  pouring  lime  water  upon  it,  or  to  dig  the 
heap  when  wet  from  the  top,  much  time  and  labor  will 
be  expended  in  a  useless  manner. 

DRAINAGE. 

After  the  concrete  has  become  solid,  lay  the  atmos- 
pheric conductors  across  the  border,  and  deposit  the 
drainage  material  between  and  upon  them,  about  six 
inches  deep. 

DIVIDED   BORDERS. 

In  addition  to  placing  the  grape  border  altogether  in- 
side the  house,  and  detaching  it  from  the  front  wall  and 
from  the  soil,  we  have  also  lately  divided  the  border 
into  sections  two  feet  wide,  by  brick  partitions,  keeping 
every  vine  by  itself,  just  as  if  the  border  consisted  of  a 
number  of  large  pots  or  tubs.  This  method  we  like  very 
much,  and  earnestly  recommend  it  to  the  attention  of 


62       BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE. 

grape  growers.  Each  section  of  tlie  border,  intended 
for  a  single  vine,  will  be  three  feet  long,  two  feet  wide, 
and  two  feet  deep.  The  quantity  of  compost  which 
this  space  will  contain  is  amply  sufficient  to  sustain  a 
vine  for  several  years,  and  when  any  danger  of  exhaus- 
tion is  apprehended,  it  may  easily  be  enlarged. 

The  advantages  of  divided  borders  are  numerous  and 
important.  In  the  first  place,  there  is  no  possibility, 
under  such  circumstances,  that  the  stronger  growing 
vines  can  interfere  with  or  injure  the  weaker  ones.  At 
the  same  time,  the  weaker  ones  can  be  watered  or  ma- 
nured freely,  if  desired,  without  affecting  the  vines  on 
either  side  of  them.  Or,  the  strong  growing  kinds  may 
be  checked,  if  necessary,  to  make  them  fruitful,  by 
giving  less  nutriment  and  less  water.  In  the  common 
border,  extending  outside  of  the  house,  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  induce  the  Muscats  to  ripen  their  wood,  espe- 
cially the  king  of  all  the  Muscats,  the  Cannon  Hall ; 
while  in  pots,  where  we  have  full  control  of  the  mois- 
ture of  the  soil,  we  find  no  such  difficulty,  and  the  wood 
matures  in  the  most  perfect  manner.  Again,  if  you 
have  any  very  weak  or  imperfect  vines  in  your  border, 
or  some  whose  quality  you  do  not  like,  you  can  take  any 
one  or  more  of  them  out,  and  replace  them  with  more 
thrifty  or  more  desirable  kinds,  without  in  the  least 
disturbing  the  roots  of  other  vines.  In  the  common 
border  it  is  almost  impossible  to  remove  a  large,  old 
vine,  without  doing  great  injury  to  the  adjacent  vines, 
nor  can  you  grow  a  }oung  vine,  with  good  success,  in  a 


BRIGHT     ON    GRAPE     CULTURE.  63 

bordei  full  of  the  roots  of  older  vines.  Grafting  or  in- 
arching may  be  resorted  to  in  the  case  of  the  common 
border,  but  these  operations  it  is  sometimes  difficult  for 
amateurs  to  perform  with  success.  Each  vinC;  in  the 
divided  border,  gets  its  allotted  share  of  nutriment  with 
the  utmost  certainty,  and  thus  it  is  very  easy  to  measure 
oflF  the  food  for  each  carefully,  or  to  try  experiments 
with  different  fertilizing  agents,  or  single  ones,  without 
the  danger  of  affecting  your  whole  house  in  case  of  error. 
But  the  ease  with  which  you  may  change  the  vines  in 
your  house,  already  alluded  to,  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing 
advantages.  Vines  may  be  grown  in  pots,  of  good  size, 
ready  for  fruiting,  and  set  in  one  of  your  large  divisions 
in  the  border,  either  with  or  without  its  ball  of  earth, 
and  it  is  only  like  shifting  to  a  larger  pot.  It  will  be 
ready  to  fruit  at  once.  At  the  time  of  making  such 
changes  of  vines,  you  may  also,  if  you  choose,  change 
the  entire  soil  in  each  section  of  the  border  from  which 
old  vines  are  removed,  without  in  the  least  disturbing 
other  parts  of  the  border.  The  fact  is,  that  the  arbi- 
trary old  system  of  making  a  large  border,  inside  and 
outside  of  the  house,  and  planting  once  for  all,  with  no 
convenient  way  of  changing  your  vines,  and  waiting- 
years  to  fill  the  borders  with  roots  and  the  house  with 
wood,  before  you  enjoy  the  fruits  of  your  investment 
and  labor,  is  really  very  absurd.  In  the  small  divided 
border,  with  well  grown  pot  vines,  you  may  fruit  half 
your  house,  if  you  choose,  the  first  year;  and  you  may 
change  your  stock  of  varieties  as  often  as  you   please. 


64  BRIGHT    ON     GRAPE    CULTURE. 

losing  very  little  time  or  fruit  by  the  operation.  If  you 
have  any  fears  that  the  divisions  of  the  border  will  be 
too  small  to  sustain  the  vines,  just  reflect  that  a  vine  in 
a  pot  eleven  inches  in  diameter,  containing  little  more 
than  half  a  cubic  foot  of  soil,  is  capable  of  producing 
from  five  to  ten  pounds  of  well  perfected  grapes,  and 
that  the  divisions  of  the  border  here  described  will  con- 
tain twelve  cubic  feet  of  soil,  and  may  easily  be  increased 
in  size  if  desired,  and  the  vines  will  be  expected  to  bear 
only  about  twenty  to  thirty  pounds  of  grapes  once  in 
two  years.  Borders  have  almost  always  been  made  too 
large,  some  of  them  contain  five  hundred  cubic  feet  of 
soil  to  each  vine,  and  immensely  rich  at  that.  Such 
borders  really  do  more  harm  than  good.  In  a  few  years 
they  invariably  become  sodden  and  sour,  and  in  many 
instances  the  grapes  mildew  and  shank,  or  the  vines 
die  out  altogether.  The  cost  of  such  borders  is  very 
great,  and  altogether  unnecessary.  If  you  wish  to  im- 
prove a  divided  border  without  enlarging  it,  you  can 
easily  remove  some  of  the  top  soil,  and  replace  it  with 
fresh,  light,  sweet,  rich  compost,  or  apply  an  increased 
quantity  of  special  fertilizers.  Or,  we  have  no  doubt 
that  the  vine  might  be  lifted  from  a  section  of  a  divided 
border,  late  in  the  fall,  its  roots  freed  of  old  soil,  or  even 
washed  out  in  warm  water,  and  replanted  in  fresh  soil, 
•without  material  injury,  if  not  with  great  advantage. 
Indeed  we  think  that  small  detached  and  divi^3  bor- 
ders, entirely  inside  the  house,  will  be  found  cheaper, 


BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE.  G5 

aiore  convenient  and  efficient  tbaa  any  other  form  of 
border,  and  will  soon  be  universally  adopted, 

ROOFS    OF   VINERIES. 

In  this  work  we  do  not  intend  to  coosider  at  any 
length,  the  best  methods  of  constructing  hot-houses,  or 
cold  graperies,  but  we  will  suggest  to  amateurs  in  build- 
ing new  vineries,  to  be  sure  and  have  fixed  roofs,  with 
permanent  bars,  and  uniform  ventilation  on  the  top,  and 
not  sliding  sash,  after  the  old  method. 

COMPOSTS    AND    SOIL    FOR   BORDERS. 

Make  the  compost,  for  the  vine  border,  of  good  loam 
from  the  surface  of  a  well  cultivated  field,  (not  from  an 
old  garden,)  where  no  trees  have  grown  for  many  years, 
and  where  the  soil  is  nearly  in  a  virgin  state,  but  not 
likely  to  be  sour  from  excess  of  moist  vegetable  matter, 
or  exhausted  by  heavy  and  injudicious  cropping.  Let 
this  loam  b.e  mixed  with  one-third  its  bulk  of  sod  from 
an  old  headland  or  pasture,  finely  chopped  with  a  sharp 
spade  or  grubbing  hoe.  Add  to  about  twenty  one-horse 
loads  of  this  mixture,  about  four  bushels  of  good  water- 
slacked  lime,  or  better  still,  three  bushels  of  lime  and 
salt  mixture,  made  by  slacking  three  bushels  of  lime 
with  one  bushel  of  salt  dissolved  in  water,  and  frequently 
turned  over  for  two  weeks  before  use.  If  you  have  any 
wood   ashes,   add    four    bushels   of  unleached,    or   ten 

5 


66  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE    CULTURE. 

bushels  of  loached  ashes.  Turn  over  this  heap  twice, 
moistening  it  well  with  water,  if  not  wet  by  rain,  and 
waiting  till  it  becomes  pretty  dry  before  turning.  Be 
very  careful  and  not  turn  the  heap  when  in  the  least 
degree  wet.  The  dryer  the  better,  for  turning  and  chop- 
ping. In  fact  this  compost  should  be  made  under  a 
shed,  or  covered  with  boards,  if  exposed  to  too  much 
rain.  Now  add  to  this  compost  of  about  twenty  horse- 
loads,  say  five  one-horse  loads  of  well-rotted  stable 
manure,  horse  and  cow  dung,  or  its  equivalent  of  any 
rich  nitrogenous  compost;  and  ten  horse  loads  of  soft, 
rotten  rock  of  a  limestone  or  micaceous  character,  and 
sand }  or  rotten  rock  and  sandy  road-scrapings  from  a 
turnpike.  If  you  choose  to  add  ten  to  twenty  bushels 
of  finely  crushed  bones,  or"  one  or  two  barrels  of  good 
super-phosphate  of  lime,  or  our  special  fertilizer,  it  will 
be  useful,  although  the  bones  will  serve  little  other  use 
than  as  a  substitute  for  sand,  and  the  super-phosphate 
of  lime  or  fertilizer  may  be  better  applied  upon  the  sur- 
face of  the  border  when  needed.  Let  your  vines,  at 
first,  rest  in-  good  natural  soil,  well  manured,  and  they 
will  form  plenty  of  vigorous  wood;  afterwards  apply 
special  fertilizers,  as  needed,  to  produce  and  perfect  the 
fruit,  and  the  highest  success  will  be  attained. 

Put  no  carcasses  of  animals,  offal  of  slaughter-houses, 
night  soil,  guano,  or  any  rich  animal  matter,  or  other 
stimulating  manure  into  or  under  the  border,  beyond 
what  we  have  advised ;  although  if  the  stable  manure 
be  poor,  it  may  be  made  a  little  richer  by  the  addi- 


BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE     CULTURE.  67 

tion  of  a  bag  of  guano,  without  injury.  Let  the  com- 
post, made  up  as  directed,  be  kept  moderately  moist, 
and  turned  frequently,  chopped  and  pulverized  as  mucli 
as  possible,  so  as  to  reduce  it  to  a  state  of  minute  divi- 
sion. The  finer  the  particles  of  the  soil  the  better. 
Again  we  say,  turn  the  heap  only  when  dry  or  nearly 
so.  Finally,  deposit  it  in  the  border,  and  after  the  vines 
are  planted,  mulch  it  with  two  or  three  inches  of  half 
rotted  leaves. 

PLANTING   AND   TRAINING   THE   VINES. 

Take  good,  strong,  two  year  old  vines,  grown  from 
eyes,  place  them  within  sixteen  inches  of  the  front  of 
the  house,  and  two  feet  apart  in  the  row.  Set  the  vines 
close  down  to  the  young  wood,  and  if  from  pots,  cover 
the  ball  of  earth  and  roots  with  about  two  inches  of  soil. 

If  the  planting  be  done  in  the  fall,  cut  the  vines  down 
to  two  eyes,  as  soon  as  the  leaves  are  off.  Cover  the  vines 
with  four  to  six  inches  of  fine  charcoal  or  litter,  to  pro- 
tect from  frost,  and  if  litter  be  used  as  a  cover  look  out 
for  mice. 

In  spring,  it  is  advisable  to  retard  the  cold  vinery, 
and  keep  the  plants  back  as  long  as  possible.  As  soon 
as  safe  from  frost,  or  if  you  have  the  aid  of  a  flue,  or 
stoves,  say  about  the  first  of  April  in  the  latitude  of 
Philadelphia,  uncover  the  vines  and  slightly  stir  the 
border.  .  No  manure  is  now  needed,  unless  it  be  a  small 


68  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

quantity  of  special  fertilizer,  such  as  we  have  recom- 
mended in  the  section  on  that  subject. 

When  the  border  is  uncovered  give  it  a  thoroiigh 
soaking  of  pure  rain  water. 

As  soon  as  the  canes  have  broken  two  inches  long, 
select  the  strongest  bud,  giving  the  preference  to  the 
one  nearest  the  ground,  and  remove  the  other.  The 
weather  being  mild,  the  canes  will  grow  rapidly.  Air 
the  house  freely  in  warm,  mild  weather,  as  soon  as  the 
thermometer  reaches  55°,  with  top  air  only.  Keep  the 
border  moderately  moist,  not  wet,  but  when  the  border 
is  watered,  give  it  a  good  soaking.  When  the  vines 
have  grown  two  or  three  feet,  and  the  temperature  under 
glass  has  increased  to  70°,  put  on  one  foot  of  air  on  the 
top  of  the  house  and  keep  the  floor  sprinkled  with  water, 
during  sunny  days,  shutting  up  the  house  before  the 
sun  leaves  it 3  at  the  same  time  thoroughly  syringe  all 
parts  of  the  house,  vines  and  all,  night  and  morning, 
with  pure,  soft,  warm  rain  water,  which  has  been  ex- 
posed to  the  sun  in  tubs,  so  as  to  be  of  the  same  tem- 
perature as  the  atmosphere  in  the  house.  Use  a  syringe 
with  a  fine  rose,  throwing  a  mere  mist  on  the  vines,  and 
apply  it  gently,  so  as  not  to  injure  the  delicate  tissue  of 
the  leaves. 

About  fehe  middle  of  May,  if  the  weather  be  mild, 
admit  about  two  inches  of  air  on  the  top  of  the  house 
about  8  o'clock  in  the  evening,  leaving  it  open  all  night 
all  through  the  season,  except  in  cold,  chilly  nights. 

As  the  canes  advance  in   growth,  stop  all  laterals  to 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.        69 

one  joint,  leaving  one  new  leaf  every  time,  till  the  vine 
reaches  the  top  of  the  house,  when  the  leader  will  be 
stopped, — and  continue  to  stop  in  the  same  way,  leaving 
one  new  leaf  on  each  joint  till  the  end  of  the  season 
The  best  length  of  rafter  for  a  cold  grapery  is  about 
fifteen  feet. 

After  the  first  of  September,  give  the  border  no  more 
water.  When  the  leaves  fiill,  and  the  wood  is  well 
ripened,  cut  down  every  alternate  cane  within  two  eyes 
of  the  ground,  and  the  canes  intended  to  be  fruited  next 
year  to  the  height  of  about  six  feet. 

Late  in  the  sea'son,  lay  the  canes  down,  and  cover 
them  up  with  charcoal  or  litter,  as  before  directed,  for 
winter  protection. 

FRUITING    THE    VINES. 

About  the  first  of  April,  uncover  the  vines  and  apply 
to  the  border  a  top  dressing  of  such  manures  as  you 
think  best,  or  the  special  fertilizers  which  we  have  re- 
commended in  another  part  of  this  work.  Then  give 
the  border  a  good  soaking  with  pure,  soft  water.  Bend 
the  fruiting  canes  down  in  a  half  circle,  by  slinging 
them  loosely  along  the  lower  wires,  till  the  vines  break 
two  or  three  inches.  Then  tie  up  the  canes  perpendi- 
cularly. Two  buds  will  usually  appear  at  each  joint. 
Remove  the  weaker  bud,  which  is  usually  the  lower 
one. 

As  soon  as  the  vines  arc  uncovered,  in   sunny  days 


70  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

syringe  freely  night  and  morning,  with  pure  rain  water. 
When  the  atmosphere  of  the  house  rises  to  50°  or  55°, 
give  four  or  five  inches  of  top  ventilation,  in  clear  days, 
increasing  to  one  foot  as  the  heat  rises  to  75°  or  80°. 

Apply  small  quantities  of  special  fertilizers,  from 
time  to  time,  such  as  your  experience  suggests,  or  such 
as  we  recommend  in  our  section  on  this  subject. 

The  vines  will  now  be  coming  into  flower.  Keep  the 
house  as  warm  as  you  can,  with  moderate  ventilation, 
and  maintain  a  high  degree  of  humidity  in  the  atmos- 
phere, by  sprinkling  the  floor  and  syringing  the  vines 
freely  night  and  morning. 

"When  the  fruit  shows,  select  the  bunches  nearest  the 
main  stem  for  preservation,  stopping  each  shoot  two 
joints  beyond  the  bunch,  and  continue  to  stop  in  the 
&ame  way,  leaving  one  new  leaf  each  time,  which  will 
cause  a  growth  of  strong,  well  developed  foliage. 

Thin  the  fruit  on  the  bunches,  immediately  after  it 
is  set  the  size  of  a  pin's  head,  on  all  free  setting  kinds, 
leaving  not  more  than  twenty  per  cent,  of  the  fruit,  and 
cutting  out  the  berries  from  the  inside  so  as  to  extend 
the  size  of  the  bunches  as  much  as  possible. 

Now  top  dress  pretty  freely  with  special  fertilizers, 
containing  super-phosphate  of  lime  and  tartrate  of  pot- 
ash, or  whatever  else  your  views  of  grape  culture  may 
deem  most  useful  to  assist  in  the  formation  of  fruit. 

Keep  the  border  quite  moist  during  the  formation  of 
fruit,  and  air  freely  during  warm  days,  on  the  top  of  the 
house,  with  doors  and  bottom  ventilation  close.      Let 


BRIGHT    ON     GR^\PE    CULTURE.  71 

the  whole  house  be  frequently  sprinkled,  and  keep  the 
atmosphere  very  humid,  and  allow  a  little  night  ventila- 
tion, as  advised  for  first  season  in  growing  canes. 

As  soon  as  the  grapes  begin  to  stone^  cease  stopping, 
and  let  the  foliage  ramble  at  will.  When  the  fruit  begins 
to  color,  admit  a  little  front  air  on  mild  days,  and  very 
warm  nights,  and  discontinue  syringing  and  watering 
the  border,  as  a  dry  house  hastens  the  ripening  process. 

The  growing  canes  will  be  treated  in  precisely  the 
same  way  as  the  canes  the  first  season  after  planting, 
stopping  the  laterals,  as  before  described. 

This  completes  the  chief  directions  for  managing  the 
cold  grapery  under  the  renewal  system,  (growing  the 
canes  and  fruiting,)  for  two  seasons.  The  following 
years  will  be  but  a  repetition  of  the  same  methods,  ex- 
cept in  respect  to  the  size  of  the  border,  and  the  entire 
renewal  of  the  vines. 

After  two  seasons,  it  may  be  advisable  to  increase 
the  width  of  the  border  from  three  to  five  feet,  in  order 
to  allow  the  roots  more  space,  and  to  present  to  them 
some  fresh  compost;  this  may  be  done  by  concreting  the 
space  intended  to  be  covered  by  the  new  border ;  extend 
the  atmospheric  conductors,  build  up  the  brick  work, 
and  then  add  compost  prepared  as  before.  This  same 
process  may  be  repeated,  from  time  to  time,  until  the 
border  is  extended  entirely  across  the  house,  if  desired, 
thus  giving  fresh  nutrimeqt  to  the  roots,  in  large  bulk, 
of  a  simple  natural  character,  as  well  as  by  top  dressing 
with  special  fertilizers. 


72  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE. 

After  some  years,  under  this  system,  tbe  main  stem 
of  the  vines  will  become  too  long  to  be  fruited  with  ad- 
vantage, and  the  tip  of  the  vines  may  then  be  layered, 
and  fresh  plants,  with  new  roots,  will  be  speedily  pro- 
duced to  take  the  place  of  the  old. 

If  desired,  the  whole  house  may  be  renovated,  in  this 
way,  in  a  single  season,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  old 
border  may  be  removed,  after  the  new  plants  are  fairly 
established,  the  old  roots  being  taken  out  with  the  soil; 
and  fresh  compost  may  be  introduced  in  place  of  the 
old,  begining  with  a  border  only  three  feet  wide  as  at 
first.  Thus  we  have,  under  this  system,  a  constant, 
never  ending,  renewal  of  wood,  roots  and  border,  from 
year  to  year,  and  from  one  period  of  time  to  another, 
as  required  by  the  condition  of  the  vines,  keeping  the 
roots  always  near  the  surface  of  the  earth,  in  a  soil  of 
well  regulated  temperature,  and  in  every  desirable  respect 
under  perfect  control. 

Note  on  "  Stopping.'' — In  stopping  the  laterals,  as  directed 
in  this  work,  it  will  be  understood  that  they  are  not  to  be  kept 
shortened  to  one  joint,  but  they  are  to  be  stopped  once  in  three 
or  four  weeks,  according  to  the  rapidity  of  growth,  making  four 
or  five  stops  in  a  season,  and  of  course  forming  four  or  five 
joints  on  each  lateral,  leaving  one  new  leaf  on  every  joint  each 
time  of  stopping. 


The  Hot-House. 


The  renewal  system  of  grape  culture  may  be  applied 
to  the  Hot-house  iu  precisely  the  same  way  as  to  the 
vineyard  and  Cold  Grapery.  The  design  of  this  work 
does  not  permit  us  to  give  detailed  instruction  in  the 
general  management  of  the  hot-house,  and  we  shall 
therefore  only  say  that  iu  houses  with  very  long  rafters, 
say  fifteen  to  twenty  feet,  the  weaker  kinds  of  grapes 
will  not  probably  grow  strong  enough,  upon  this  system, 
to  fruit  them  the  whole  length  of  the  rafter  the  first 
year  or  two,  but  they  should  be  cut  back  in  proportion 
to  their  strength.  Some  of  the  strong  canes  can  be 
fruited  the  second  season,  half  way  up  the  house,  say 
ten  feet.  Others,  if  weaker,  should  be  cut  back  to  four 
or  six  feet  of  fruiting  wood.  The  second  time  of  fruit- 
ing, the  weaker  vines  can  be  extended  to  ten  feet,  and 
the  third  time  the  entire  length  of  the  rafter. 

In  small  hot-houses,  with  a  rafter  only  eight  or  ten 
feet  long,  the  canes  may  be  planted  in  the  spring,  and 
one-half  of  them  (as  before  directed,)  may  be  fruited  the 
entire  length  of  the  rafter  the  second  year.  Small 
houses,  with  rafters  only  six  or  eight  feet  long,  are  the 
best  size  for  early  forcing. 

(73) 


Injurious  effect  of  deep,  rich  Borders, 
and  deep  planting  in  Vineyards. 


The  ^'  Ohio  German  System,"  and  indeed  all  other 
systems  of  grape  culture  practised  or  advocated  in  this 
country^  are  based  upon  the  plan  of  deep,  rich  borders, 
and  deep  trenching  and  heavy  manuring  for  vineyards. 
Indeed,  so  far  do  some  of  the  Ohio  writers  carry  this 
doctrine,  that  they  advise  the  cultivator  to  ^^  cut  off  the 
roots  of  the  vines  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and 
for  four  or  five  inches  below  the  surface,  that  the  roots, 
while  the  vines  are  young,  may  be  established  at  the 
proper  depth ;"  that  is,  we  presume,  as  deeply  as  possi- 
ble. (See  R.  Buchanan  on  Grape  Culture,  pages  16, 
17.)  A  more  absurd  or  injurious  practice  could 
scarcely  be  conceived.  We  should  rather  advise  that 
all  roots  which  penetrate  more  than  five  inches  below 
the  surface  should  be  cut  off,  and  that  the  surface  roots 
he  preserved. 

Mr.  Reemeliuj  of  Ohio,  whose  treatise  on  the  vine  is 
well  known,  seems  to  be  a  little  dubious  about  the  merits 
of  the  root-pruning  practice  above  described.  He  says  : 
"  I  doubt  the  propriety  of  going  down  so  far  and  cutting 


BRIGHT    ON     GRAPE    CULTURE.  75 

oflF  the  roots.  I  have  taken  up  many  grape  vines,  from 
five  to  ten  years  old,  and  I  can  say,  from  practical  ex- 
perience, that  those  vines  were  the  thriftiest  upon  whose 
stem  not  only  the  foot-roots,  but  the  side-roots  were  in 
good  condition.^'  Mr.  R.  adds  that  he  '^  considers  it  of 
first  importance  that  the  foot-roots  should  penetrate 
deeply." 

In  our  opinion,  deep  borders  and  deep  planting  con- 
stitute two  of  the  greatest  errors  now  existing  in  grape 
culture.  We  think  no  border  should  be  made  more 
than  two  feet  deep,  and  no  vineyard  soil  should  be  made 
rich  to  a  greater  depth  than  eighteen  inches,  or  trenched 
for  any  other  purpose  than  to  render  it  open  and  porous. 
No  vine  should  be  planted  more  than  four  to  eight 
inches  deep,  and  instead  of  making  any  effort  to  induce 
the  roots  to  go  down  deeper  than  that,  every  effort 
should  be  made  to  keep  them  within  four  inches  of  the 
surface ;  and  as  soon  as  the  roots  are  found  to  penetrate 
to  the  depth  of  three  feet,  we  would  advise  the  vine  to 
be  renewed  by  layers.  We  will  guarantee  that  if  a  trial 
be  made,  near  Cincinnati,  where  the  grape  rot  prevails 
so  badly,  by  planting  the  Catawba  grape  on  the  surface 
of  a  rock,  in  four  inches  of  soil,  and  well  mulched  winter 
and  summer,  a  good  crop  of  grapes  will  be  obtained,  and 
that  the  rot  will  never  be  seen  on  a  vine  so  planted — 
nor  upon  any  other  vine  planted  shallow,  in  a  porous 
soil,  and  properly  mulched. 

It  is  frequently  stated,  by  writers  on  grape  culture, 
that  in  many  parts  of  Europe  they  spade  up  the  ground 


76  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE. 

for  vineyards,  from  two  to  five  feet  deep.  Mr.  Eeeme- 
lin,  of  Ohio,  says  so  in  his  Vine  Dresser's  Manual. 
This  may  be  true,  in  some  instances,  but  if  true,  it  does 
not  by  any  means  prove  that  it  is  best  to  induce  the 
vines  to  root  so  deeply.  It  cannot,  however,  be  the  ge- 
neral custom,  for  two  reasons;  first,  the  people  in  Spain, 
and  some  other  countries,  are  too  indolent  and  too  poor 
to  expend  so  much  labor  on  the  preparation  of  the  vine- 
yard; and  secondly,  the  nature  of  the  rocky  soil  on  the 
hill-sides,  where  most  of  the  vineyards  are  located,  does 
not  admit  of  such  deep  culture.  Mr.  Redding,  whose  trea- 
tise on  Modern  Wines  is  a  standard  English  authority 
on  this  subject,  says,  that  at  Malaga,  in  Spain,  where 
the  most  delicious  wine  is  produced,  "  most  of  the  vines 
flourish  in  about  eighteen  inches  of  a  rich  loam  or 
mould,  upon  a  blue  shaly  substratum,  or  rocky  forma- 
tion. The  vineyards  are,  many  of  them,  situated  at  a 
great  height  above  the  sea,  where  the  earth  about  the 
vines  must  he  carcfidJy  securcdy^  (so  little  is  thereof  it, 
and  so  loosely  does  it  lie  on  the  rocks,  we  presume.) 
Redding,  in  his  interesting  treatise,  gives  many  other 
instances  of  shallow  soils  which  produce  large  crops  of 
grapes,  and  the  best  of  wine. 

The  eff"ect  of  a  deep,  rich  border  in  the  vinery,  for 
the  first  two  or  three  years,  is  very  gratifying  to  the 
cultivator.  The  first  year  the  vine  makes  a  strong, 
rampant  growth,  and  fine  foliage,  and  continues  to  grow 
in  this  luxuriant  way  for  two  years  longer.  The  owner 
of  the  vines,  and  the  gardener,  are  delighted  with  their 


BRIGHT    ON     GRAPE    CULTURE.  77 

success.  The  border  is  deep,  and  rich,  and  the  vines 
are  truly  magnificent.  Such  a  border  as  that  cannot 
assuredly  give  out,  for  it  gets  more  rich  food  every  year, 
and  vines  of  such  luxuriance  certainly  cannot  meet  with 
check  or  disaster.      So  they  reason. 

But  sometimes  in  the  third  year,  they  begin  to  dis- 
cover that  there  is  something  the  matter  with  the  vines. 
The  bunches  are  large,  the  berries  are  large,  but  the 
foliage  begins  to  decline  a  little,  and  the  fruit  does  not 
color  quite  so  well  as  usual. 

The  next  year  or  two,  the  vines  continue  to  produce 
large  wood,  but  they  break  in  the  spring  badly,  the 
wood  being  immature,  and  are  much  subject  to  mildew. 
The  roots  have  now  penetrated  too  deeply  to  maintain 
a  healthy  relation  to  the  top  of  the  vine. 

In  the  fifth  year  the  fruit  sometimes  scarcely  colors 
at  all ;  the  berries  remain  red,  and  a  great  portion  of 
them  shank. 

During  the  sixth  and  seventh  years,  the  vines  in 
deep,  rich  borders  begin  to  decline  very  rapidly.  The 
leaves,  instead  of  being,  as  before,  a  foot  or  fifteen 
inches  in  diameter,  will  often  be  seen  no  larger  than 
maple  leaves ;  and  thus  the  work  of  destruction  goes  on 
till  the  eighth  and  ninth  years,  (when  the  vines,  if  pro- 
perly managed,  ought  to  be  in  the  greatest  perfection,) 
and  then,  as  we  often  see  in  deep  borders,  they  nearly 
die  out,  and  become  entirely  useless.  This  is  the  his- 
tory of  such  borders,  and  of  deep  planting,  in  vineries 
all  around  Philadelphia. 


78  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE. 

In  contrast  to  this  common  system  of  culture^  we  will 
present  an  experiment  tried  by  Mr.  Fleming,  of  Eng- 
land, a  well  known  grape  grower,  to  resuscitate  one  of 
these  decaying  vineries,  deeply  planted  in  a  rich,  deep 
border,  as  published  in  the  Gardener's  Chronicle. 

Mr.  Fleming  had  the  care  of  a  vinery,  which  was 
much  subject  to  mildew;  the  grapes  never  colored  well; 
the  leaves  were  small  and  burnt ;  the  grapes  did  not 
mature. 

This  ill  success  was,  at  first,  attributed  to  the  old 
crown  glass,  with  which  the  house  was  covered.  This 
glass  was  removed,  and  the  house  was  glazed  with  the 
best  horticultural  sheet  glass,  rolled,  to  destroy  the 
focus,  but  with  no  good  result.  They  then  put  on  a 
ridge  and  furrow  roof,  but  with  no  perceptible  improve- 
ment in  the  condition  of  the  vines.  It  was  at  last  con- 
ceded that  the  defect  must  be  in  the  border. 

Mr.  Fleming  then  commenced  at  the  foot  of  the 
house,  and  very  carefully  took  out  all  the  soil  and  roots, 
down  to  the  drainage ;  and  as  he  raised  the  roots  of 
the  vines,  tied  them  up  in  damp  moss,  and  suspended 
them  from  the  front  of  the  house.  He  thus  entirely  re- 
moved the  old.  border,  and  all  the  roots  of  the  vines; 
re-concreted  the  bottom  of  the  border;  laid  a  new  drain- 
age, well  secured ;  put  in  a  fresh  border,  not  very  rich, 
but  chiefly  composed  of  fresh,  virgin  soil,  with  a  little 
bone  dust  and  well  rotted  manure ;  spread  out  the  roots 
of  the  vines  upon  the  surface  of  the  border,  and  covered 
them  with  two  inches  of  soil,  well  mulched. 


BRIGHT     ON    GRAPE     CULTURE.  79 

Now  mark  the  result.  This  experiment  was  per- 
formed late  in  September,  after  a  crop  had  been  taken 
oflf.  The  vines  were  in  leaf,  and  the  leaves  scarcely 
flagged  during  the  whole  operation,  although  the  vines 
were  not  cut  back  any  more  than  they  would  have  been 
if  not  lifted,  but  were  pruned  in  the  usual  way,  and  al- 
lowed to  fruit  the  next  season,  the  whole  length  of  the 
canes.  The  vines  broke  rather  weak,  about  as  they  had 
done  for  some  years  previously,  but  increased  in  sub- 
stance and  strength  rapidly  before  the  bunches  appear- 
ed ;  the  bunches  elongated  to  an  enormous  size,  and  the 
vines  perfected  a  crop  of  grapes  which  took  the  first 
premium  at  the  fall  exhibition  in  the  Crystal  Palace  at 
Sydenham,  against  all  the  best  vineries  in  Great  Brit- 
ain !  So  much  for  shallow  planting  in  a  border  mode- 
rately rich.  We  feel  sure  that  this  is  the  best  practice, 
and  that  gardeners  everywhere  must  sooner  or  later 
come  to  it,  and  all  vine-growers  also,  both  in-doors  and 
out. 

The  reason  why  vines  do  not  thrive  for  a  number  of 
years,  in  deep  borders,  is  this  :  it  is  impossible  to  pre- 
serve an  equal  degree  of  temperature,  and  an  equal 
action,  between  the  roots  and  the  tops  of  the  canes.  For 
instance,  the  tops  of  the  canes  start  early  in  the  spring, 
both  in  the  vineyard  and  in  the  vinery,  long  before  the 
soil  or  the  border  becomes  warmed  to  the  depth  of  two 
or  three  feet,  and  before  the  roots  are  properly  excited 
into  action,  and  hence  a  great  draught  is  made  upon  the 
resources  of  the  vine  before  it  is  properly  supplied  with 


80  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE. 

Bap.  Again,  in  the  fall,  the  action  of  the  roots,  excited 
by  the  warmth  of  the  soil  or  border,  continues  long  after 
the  tops  ought  to  be  at  rest,  and  a  late  growth  of  succu- 
lent, immature  wood,  is  the  result.  Where  the  roots  of 
Tines  extend  from  a  hot-house  into  a  deep  outside  bor- 
der, the  effect  is  even  worse  than  in  the  vineyard.  In 
all  cases,  however,  deep  planting  will  produce  rot,  rail- 
deW;  shanking,  and  final  destruction  of  the  vines. 


Special  Manures  for  the  Grape. 


BRIGHT  S    GRAPE   FERTnJZER. 

* 

The  grape  deliglits,  most  of  all,  in  a  limestone  soil. 
The  best  wine  grapes  grown  in  Europe,  have  been  pro- 
duced on  artificial  terraces  or  borders,  on  the  hill-side 
ledges  of  limestone  rocks,  Lime  is,  indeed,  required 
in  abundance  by  almost  all  fruit  producing  plants  and 
trees.  A  good  method  of  using  lime,  where  it  is  not 
sufficiently  abundant  in  the  soil,  is  to  apply  twenty  or 
thirty  bushels  annually  per  acre,  and  it  is  more  efl&cient 
if  this  quantity  be  distributed  in  small  portions  of  say 
three  to  five  bushels  at  a  time,  before  rain,  at  intervals 
of  several  weeks,  throughout  the  year.  Or,  it  may  be 
used  upon  sod  and  peat,  when  preparing  composts,  be- 
fore the  addition  of  stable  manure,  or  other  ammoniacal 
substances. 

The  next  special  manure  required  by  the  grape  is 
ammoniei,  or  nitrogenous  matter.  The  grape  is  gener- 
ally declared  to  be  a  gross  feeder ;  it  is  thought  to  re- 
quire a  large  amount  of  rich  manure.  This  idea  is  i^ 
the  main  correct,  but  not  to  the  extent  that  was  former 
supposed.     The  old  plan  of  manuring  grape  borde 

6  (sr 


82  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

and  arborS;  by  burying  tlie  carcasses  of  animals,  slangliter- 
liouse  offal,  hog  manure,  and  other  material  of  a  similar 
character  under  the  roots  of  vines,  is  now,  we  presume 
abandoned  by  all  intelligent  persons  who  have  kept  pace 
with  the  progress  in  horticulture.  Even  bone-dust  is 
not  now  placed  beneath  the  roots,  though  it  may  be,  to 
some  extent,  mixed  vnth  the  soil  of  borders  and  vine- 
yards. But  as  to  nitrogenous  compounds,  stable  manure, 
slaughter-house  offal,  guano,  &c.,  it  is  better  that  they 
should  not  be  mixed  largely  with  the  soil,  in  planting  a 
vineyard,  unless  it  be  very  poor,  nor  indeed  should  they 
be  thus  applied  around  or  beneath  the  roots  of  any  fruit- 
bearing  plant  or  tree,  at  the  time  of  planting. 

The  grape  requires  ammonia,  or  ammoniacal  manures, 
such  as  we  have  mentioned,  but  they  should  be  applied 
late  in  the  fall  in  the  vineyard,  or  in  early  spring,  as  we 
have  directed  for  pot  culture.  You  may  manure  your 
vineyard  annually,  in  the  fall,  as  you  would  a  field  of 
wheat,  and  fork  it  into  the  soil;  or  you  may  mix  the 
ammoniacal  substance  in  your  special  compost,  as  we 
have  done  in  the  Grape  Fertilizer. 

After  ammonia,-  comes  pJiosphoric  acid,  or  phosphate 
of  lime,  as  a  special  manure  for  the  grape.  This  should 
be,  not  in  the  form  of  crude  bones,  or  bone-earth,  or 
bone-dust,  but  in  the  form  of  soluble  super-phosphate  of 
lime.  Vast  sums  of  money  have  been  wasted  by  the 
application  of  crude  bones  and  bone-dust  to  vineyards. 
Even  finely  ground  bones  will  scarcely  decompose  and 
yield  up  their  phosphoric  acid  to  the  grape  roots  in  the 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.       83 

life-time  of  man,  while  in  the  soluble  form  the  valuable 
constituent  of  bones,  the  phosphoric  acid^  becomes  en- 
tirely available  the  first  season. 

The  fourth  important  inorganic  element  of  the  grape 
vine  and  its  fruit,  \b  potash,  in  various  combinations,  as 
silicate  of  potash,  nitrate  of  potash,  tartrate  of  potash, 
carbonate  of  potash,  &c.  Potash  should,  we  presume, 
be  placed  first  and  highest  on  the  list,  and  the  others 
in  the  inverse  order  as  noticed,  viz  :  first  potash,  then 
phosphoric  acid,  ammonia,  lime.  Soda,  or  soda  ash, 
may  perhaps  in  some  instances,  serve  the  purpose  of 
potash,  though  it  does  not  enter  largely  into  the  com- 
position of  the  vine  or  the  grape. 

The  acich  also  play  an  important  part  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  grape,  such  as  the  tartaric,  malic,  carbonic, 
silicic,  nitric,  sulphuric  and  tannic  acids. 

The  starchy  and  saccharine  elements  and  compounds, 
produced  by  the  bases  and  acids,  have  also  to  be  con- 
sidered in  our  views  of  grape  culture. 

Lime  and  potash  enter  largely  into  the  composition 
of  the  wood,  ammonia  stimulates  the  growth  of  foliage, 
the  phosphoric  acid  promotes  the  tendency  to  fruit, 
potash  develops  fruit  juices,  carbonic  and  tartaric  acids 
elaborate  sweetness  and  rich  vinous  flavor,  and  all  these 
substances,  and  more  which  it  is  unnecessary  to  name, 
as  they  are  found  in  all  good  soils,  under  the  combined 
influence  of  light,  heat,  and  moisture,  produce  the  per- 
fect fruit. 

To  instruct  the  public  at  large  as  to  the  best  method 


\  i  BRIGHT     ON    GnATE    CULTURE. 

of  obtaining  and  using  all  these  necessary  constituents- 
of  the  grape,  in  a  brief  hand-book  like  this,  has  seemed 
to  us  almost  a  hopeless  task.  It  would  require  at  least 
a  complete  elementary  treatise  on  the  chemistry  of  the 
substances  named,  which  few  would  read,  unless  pre- 
viously instructed  in  chemistry,  and  still  fewer  would 
understand,  or  attempt  to  follow.  There  is  nothing  of 
which  the  purely  practical  man  is  more  justly  doubtful 
than  his  ability  even  to  use  potash,  or  any  other  simple 
chemical  agent,  with  safety  and  success  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  manure. 

With  these  views,  and  by  the  urgent  request  of 
numerous  friends,  we  have  prepared  a  Grape  Fertilizer 
for  popular  use,  containing  all  the  ingredients  necessary 
to  grow  and  fruit  the  grape,  in  pots,  in  the  hot-house, 
in  the  garden,  upon  the  trellis,  and  in  the  vineyard  : 
precisely  that  compost  or  combination  of  agents,  which 
we  have  ourselves  so  successfully  employed  for  years  in 
the  growing  of  grapes,  only  more  perfectly  made,  and 
more  scientifically  combined,  than  we  have  usually  made 
it  for  our  own  use. 

People  who  have  visited  our  grapery  have  often  asked 
us  "  What  manures  do  you  use  to  make  your  grapes 
grow  so  finely,  and  fruit  so  heavily  V  It  was  impossi- 
ble to  answer  this  question  within  the  limits  of  a  brief 
conversation,  and  hence  many  have  thought  us  very 
secret  and  selfish  in  our  grape  culture.  This  is  not  so. 
We  have  been  willing  to  explain  the  whole  art,  and  here 
publish  it ;  but  we  are  quite  convinced,  that  unless  the 


BIliailT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE.  85 

special  manures  required  by  the  grape  are  provided  in 
a  convenient  and  perfect  form,  few  persons  among  the 
thousands  who  may  read  this  work,  would  be  able  to 
attain  the  highest  degree  of  success  in  grape  culture. 

Stable  manure,  or  even  slaughter-house  manure,  alone. 
v,'ill  not  grow  and  perfect  the  best  fruit,  nor  the  best 
crop,  although  it  may  produce  immense  canes.  TV(? 
advise  the  use  of  some  stable  manure,  or  other  rich 
manure  of  like  character,  or  of  guano;  but  we  feel  as- 
sured that  in  really  good  soil  a  first  rate  crop  of  fine 
grapes  may  be  produced  without  any  stable  manure, 
guano,  or  other  stimulating  manure  whatever,  by  the 
use  of  the  chemical  elements  of  the  grape  above  des- 
cribed, which  form  the  ingredients  of  our  fertilizer. 
Most  persons  have  no  doubt  noticed  that  grape  vines 
and  fruit  trees,  in  good  soil,  usually  grow,  that  is  in- 
crease in  size,  and  length  of  branches,  and  abundance 
of  foliage,  well  enough,  without  stable  or  other  common 
manure, — but  tliei/  don't  fruit.  Now  soap  suds,  con- 
taining carbonic  acid  and  potash,  applied  to  an  old  un- 
fruitful vine,  or  tree,  will  often  cause  it  to  fruit  abund- 
antly. The  vine  may  obtain  carbonic  acid,  and  ammonia, 
from  the  atmosphere,  and  may  grow  finely,  but  if  the 
inorganic  or  chemical  substances  required  to  produce 
fruit,  be  exhausted  from  the  soil,  they  can  only  be  sup- 
plied by  the  application  of  compounds  containing  them. 

The  Grape  Fertilizer  which  we  present  to  the  public, 
is  intended  chiefly  for  popular  use.  The  scientific  man 
will  of  course  know  what  chemical  agents  to  use,  in 


86       BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE. 

grape  culture,  and  how  to  use  them,  and  will  not  come 
to  us  for  instruction,  though  he  may  not  decline  a  hint 
from  us,  when  sustained  by  successful  practice.  To  the 
gentleman,  however,  who  does  not  study  horticulture, 
and  whose  gardener  does  not  understand  chemistry,  we 
believe  a  well  prepared  Grrape  Fertilizer,  at  a  low  price, 
adapted  to  the  grapery  and  trellis,  will  prove  a  valu- 
able acquisition,  as  it  may  save  him  much  time,  expense, 
and  probably  serious  failure  in  the  efforts  of  his  gardener 
to  attain  a  high  point  in  grape  culture.  To  the  amateur 
grape-grower,  in  small  gardens  and  vineyards,  and  to 
the  owner  of  a  single  vine  or  arbor  of  vines,  it  will  be 
exceedingly  useful  and  convenient.  TVe  have  long  had 
special  manures  for  corn  and  wheat,  and  why  not  for 
grapes  ?  The  latter  is  indeed  more  imperatively  de- 
manded than  the  former,  because  the  art  of  selecting 
and  mixing  the  necessary  ingredients  is  less  generally 
known,  and  hence  greater  mistakes  are  liable  to  be  made 
in  any  attempts  to  accomplish  it. 

The  Grape  Fertilizer  which  we  have  prepared,  con- 
tains all  the  ingredients  necessary  to  grow  and  fruit  the 
grape,  in  abundance,  except  carbonic  acid,  or  carbona- 
ceous matter.  Well  rotted  sod,  peat  sweetened  with 
lime,  or  rotted  straw,  and  well  rotted  stable  manure  will 
supply  carbon. 

The  Grape  Fertilizer  contains  ammonia,  phosphoric 
acid,  potash,  salts  of  lime  and  soda,  iron,  &c.,  &c.,  all 
the  inorganic  elements  of  vine  and  fruit,  in  proper  com- 
bination with  vegetable  acids,  especially  the  tartaric  acid. 


BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE.  87 

Tartaric  Acid  we  have  founds  in  a  free  state,  the 
most  useful  of  all  the  special  manures  for  the  grape. 
The  fact  that  the  lees  of  wine,  or  grape  juice,  deposits 
large  quantities  of  tartaric  acid,  or  hi-tartrate  of  potash, 
(cream  of  tartar,)  has  long  been  known  to  the  world,  and 
jet  grape  growers  have  for  centuries  been  blind  to  the 
importance  of  this  substance  in  grape  culture.  Not  till 
after  we  had  experimented  with  the  use  of  tartaric  acid, 
and  tartrate  of  potash,  could  we  feel  certain  that  we  had 
the  culture  and  fruiting  of  the  grape  perfectly  under 
our  control.  Sometimes  we  succeeded,  and  sometimes 
we  failed,  nor  could  we  discover  the  cause.  One  day, 
in  reading  some  scientific  work,  our  attention  was  called 
to  the  fact,  that  nearly  all  the  cream  of  tartar  of  com- 
merce, was  obtained  from  the  lees  of  wine.  New  light 
at  once  broke  into  our  mind.  Here,  it  was  evident,  was 
an  important  acid,  necessary  to  the  perfection  of  the 
grape,  entirely  overlooked.  We  commenced  experi- 
menting at  once,  with  tartaric  acid,  adding  it  to  our 
compost  heaps  and  using  it  in  a  variety  of  ways  and  a 
variety  of  combinations.  At  last  we  hit  upon  the  right 
union  with  potash  and  other  substances,  and  we  have 
never  since  been  at  loss  to  fruit  a  healthy  vine  as  heavily 
as  it  could  bear.  In  fact,  our  vines  fruited  too  heavily, 
and  we  immediately  commenced  the  dwarfing  system, 
and  the  growing  of  larger  bunches  of  finer  quality, 
which  is  the  truest  and  highest  point  of  the  art. 

Our  G-rape  Fertilizer  is  an  ammoniated  compound  of 
phosphate  and  tartrate  of  potash  and  lime,  or  more  pr(?- 


88  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

perly  speaking  it  is  a  compound  of  ammonia  and  super- 
phosphate of  lime,  and  tartrate  of  potash,  in  a  form 
sufficiently  soluble  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  grape  vine. 
If  required,  it  will  all  be  available  in  a  single  season, 
but  if  not  taken  up  bj  the  vines,  it  will  remain  in  any 
good  soil  for  years,  until  it  is  taken  up  by  plants,  and 
cannot  be  washed  out  by  rains,  or  evaporated  by  heat. 
It  is  ready  for  use,  yet  enduring  as  the  earth  itself. 
Being  manufactured  on  a  large  scale,  it  can  be  sold 
cheaper  than  it  can  be  made  by  any  single  individual 
purchasing  the  ingredients  in  small  quantities  and  work- 
ing without  proper  apparatus,  even  if  he  possess  the  re- 
quisite scientific  skill  to  make  the  proper  combinations. 
We  believe  it  will  be  of  immense  service  to  grape 
growers,  and  save  them  a  vast  amount  of  trouble,  ex- 
pense and  disappointment,  in  their  efforts  to  grow  the 
grape  by  the  use  of  ordinary  manures. 

The  Grape  Fertilizer  may  be  applied  to  the  vine  in 
pots,  in  the  field  or  garden,  as  a  top  dressing,  in  the 
fall,  after  the  vine  has  ceased  growing,  in  the  spring, 
and  during  the  summer  when  undergoing  the  stoning 
process  when  the  fruit  ceases  to  swell  for  a  time,  and  in 
addition  to  growing  a  fine  crop  of  grapes,  it  will  perfect 
the  fruit  a  week  or  two  earlier  than  if  not  so  fertilized. 

The  Grape  Fertilizer  will  be  furnished  in  large  and 
small  packages,  adapted  to  the  wants  of  grape  growers, 
and  detailed  directions  will  accompany  each  package  as 
to  method  of  using,  quantity  per  acre,  or  per  vine. 


Metliod   of   applying   our  Grape 
Fertilizer. 


The  Grape  Fertilizer  wliich  we  present  to  the  public 
should  be  applied  to  vines  frequently,  at  various  seasons 
of  the  year,  in  small  quantities,  as  parts  of  it  are  volatile 
and  might  be  lost  before  being  taken  up  by  the  roots,  if 
the  whole  quantity  intended  for  one  season  were  applied 
all  at  once. 

As  soon  as  the  foliage  falls  off  in  autumn,  the  vines 
should  receive  a  dressing  of  fertilizing  agents,  in  order 
that  these  substances  may  pass  into  the  soil  and  enter 
into  chemical  combination  with  its  particles  during  the 
winter,  and  promote  new  chemical  conditions  in  the  soil 
itself.  When  the  vines  start  in  the  spring,  a  fresh 
dressing  should  be  given,  and  during  the  spring,  while 
the  rain  is  falling  freely,  slight  sprinklings  of  Fertilizer 
should  be  frequently  thrown  around  the  roots,  to  be 
dissolved  and  carried  into  the  soil  at  once  by  the  water. 
And  again,  in  summer,  when  the  fruit  is  stoning,  and 
the  vines  seem  to  be  in  a  partial  state  of  rest,  a  free 
dose  of  Fertilizer  should  be  given  during  rainy  weather, 
to  assist  in  perfecting  the  grapes. 

(SO) 


90  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

To  a  poor  soil,  in  which  there  is  a  scanty  supply  of 
the  salts  of  lime  and  potash,  and  but  little  ammonia  or 
phosphoric  acid,  the  Fertilizer  may  be  applied  at  the  rate 
of  one  ton  per  acre,  the  first  season,  and  say,  six  hun- 
dred pounds  the  second  and  following  seasons,  though 
three  hundred  pounds  on  a  first  rate  soil  will  show  a 
marked  and  profitable  effect.  For  single  vines,  or  vines 
on  arbors,  from  a  peck  to  a  bushel  may  be  applied  in  a 
season,  to  each  vine,  or  even  two  bushels  may  be  used 
on  old  vines  which  have  had  but  little  special  manure 
for  many  years,  if  it  be  widely  spread  over  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  say  upon  a  space  ten  or  fifteen  feet  square 
and  carefully  worked  into  the  top  soil,  in  divided  quan- 
tities, at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  as  before  directed. 
Indeed,  if  any  one  should  wish  to  try  the  experiment, 
upon  a  large  old  vine,  we  think  that  as  much  as  four  or 
six  bushels  might  be  applied  to  a  single  old  vine,  of 
large  size,  with  safety,  especially  if  mixed  for  two  or 
three  weeks  with  one  or  two  cart-loads  of  muck  or  wet 
sod  from  an  old  meadow,  and  turned  two  or  three  times 
before  using  it.  The  caustic  ingredients  of  the  Fertilizer 
would  thus  be  partially  neutralized  by  the  muck  or  sod, 
and  also  absorbed,  so  that  the  action  of  its  ingredients 
would  not  be  expended  all  at  once,  or  too  speedily  upon 
the  vine.  All  large  applications  of  Fertilizer  for  the 
restoration  of  old  vines,  should  of  course  be  made  late 
in  the  fall,  and  in  early  spring,  and  not  during  the 
growing  season. 

For  pot  vines  of  one   year  old  or  less,  only  slight 


BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE.        91 

sprinklings  will  be  required,  say  a  pint  or  so  in  a  season. 
Two  year  old  and  fruiting  vines  may  be  top-dressed  with 
one  or  two  quarts  during  the  year,  the  old  material 
being  removed  occasionally  and  fresh  applied,  as  may 
seem  to  be  required.  The  heaviest  dressings  should  be 
made  late  in  the  fall,  and  the  first  thing  in  the  spring 
before  the  vines  have  started.  It  will  always  be  well  to 
apply  to  the  pots  a  little  fresh  soil  before  giving  the 
Fertilizer,  and  this  again  may  be  covered  with  soil,  or 
leaf  mould,  with  much  advantage.  So  in  making  appli- 
cations of  Fertilizer  to  out  of  door  vines,  a  mulching  or 
dressing  of  good  soil  or  leaf  mould  over  the  special 
manure  will  be  highly  useful. 

Our  Fertilizer  is  quite  as  powerful  as  guano  in  respect 
to  the  quantity  and  value  of  its  ingredients,  but  it  is 
not  so  volatile,  soluble,  or  caustic,  and  hence  acts  more 
slowly,  lasts  lon-ger,  and  is  not  so  dangerous  to  plants. 
It  contains  all  the  special  manures  required  by  the  grape 
for  the  growth  of  wood  and  the  production  of  fruit,  and 
will  be  found  exceedingly  convenient  for  those  who  do 
not  care  to  trouble  themselves  about  making  composts 
of  crude  and  oflfensive  substances  in  order  to  obtain  the 
necessary  fertilizing  agents. 


APPENDIX. 


Inside  Borders — Shallow  Plantin 


The  views  presented  in  tliis  work,  in  respect  to  the 
construction  of  vine  borders  and  shallow  planting,  may 
seem  to  demand  some  defence  and  explanation  beyond 
what  is  contained  in  the  body  of  the  essay.  We  con- 
sider the  positions  assumed,  and  the  practice  advised, 
highly  important  to  fruit  growers,  and  we  can  show  that 
although  seemingly  new,  and  esteemed  by  many  good 
cultivators  of  questionable  merit,  they  are  really  endorsed 
by  several  of  the  leading  horticultural  writers  in  the 
United  States. 

The  practice  of  deep  planting  and  heavy  manuring, 
for  fruit  trees  and  grape  vines,  was  first  brought  into 
active  use,  in  this  country,  by  A.  J.  Downing,  who, 
with  all  his  great  merits  as  a  writer  on  horticultural 
topics,  has  been  the  means  of  destroying  many  thou- 
sands of  trees  and  vines  by  his  directions  for  planting. 
When  we  use  the  expression  '( deep  planting,"  we  do 
not  always  mean  setting  the  tree  too  deep  at  first,  but 
we  mean  so  digging  and  manuring  the  soil  under  the 
tree  as  to  invite  its  roots  immediately  and  deeply  down 

(93) 


94  ERICriT     ON     CRAPE    CULTURE. 

into  the  sub-soil.  AVliat  we  desire  is,  to  keep  the  roots 
of  trees  aud  vines^  as  much  as  possible,  near  the  surface. 
These  opinions  we  first  presented  to  tlie  public,  in  an 
article  on  Dwarf  Pear  culture,  in  the  Gardener' s  Monthli/, 
for  March,  1859,  in  reply  to  an  article  by  Mr.  E.  Norton 
of  Connecticut,  in  the  Horticulturist.  We  noticed  Mr. 
Norton's  article  because  his  planting  was  made  upon  the 
old  Downing  plan,  which  has  been  in  general  use, 
among  amateurs  at  least.  We  quote  such  portions  of 
the  article  alluded  to,  as  bear  immediately  upon  the 
question  at  issue. 

PEAR  TREES  ON  QUINCE  STOCK. 

BY   WILLIAM    BRIGHT. 

The  article  by  Mr.  E.  Norton  in  the  Horticulturist 
for  December  last,  on  the  general  failure  of  the  Pear  on 
Quince  Stock,  has  induced  me  to  present  you  with  a 
few  suggestions  upon  this  subject  which  I  think  may 
prove  useful  to  persons  who  may  hereafter  attempt  the 
culture  of  the  pear  especially  upon  quince  roots.  Mr. 
Norton's  remarks  are  very  fair  and  apparently  well  con- 
sidered, the  result  of  much  personal  experience  aud 
careful  observation.  But  they  contain  within  themselves, 
in  my  opinion,  the  evidence  of  erroneous  views  of  pear 
culture,  which  are  very  common,  and  to  which,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  ill  success  of  dwarf  pears  may  be  at- 
tributed. 

Mr.  Norton  says  he  planted  four  hundred   quince- 


APPENDIX. 


95 


rooted  pear  trees,  thus:  ^^  Holes  were  dug  tioo  anJ-a- 
half  feet  deep  by  three  or  four  wide,  d^udi  filled  icltli  a 
carefulli/  prepared  compost,  not  too  rich,  but  having  all 
the  ingredients  prescribed  by  the  experts.'^  The  man- 
ner in  which  the  trees  were  set  out,  in  my  opinion,  pre- 
sents the  one  great  fatal  error  in  the  planting  of  fruit 
trees,  which  runs  through  all  the  works  upon  this  sub- 
ject;  and  prevails  in  practice  to  an  extent  sufficient  to 
account  for  at  least  half  the  misfortunes  of  fruit-growers. 
The  great  cardinal  principle  in  all  fruit  culture,  and 
in  the  case  of  the  dwarf  pear  in  particular,  should  be  to 
keep  the  roots  as  near  the  surface  of  the  earth  as  possi- 
ble, and  not  to  invite  them  down  to  a  depth  of  three  feet, 
by  the  use  of  rich  composts.  They  will  go  down  rapidly 
enough,  and  far  enough,  be  sure  of  that,  if  the  ground 
is  well  ploughed  ]  but  we  ought  not  to  encourage  them 
to  go  down ;  and  to  this  end,  we  should  place  the  ma- 
nure upon  the  surface  of  the  ground,  rather  than  under 
them.  The  recent  experiments  in  surface  manuring, 
in  England  and  America,  prove  conclusively  that,  for 
most  purposes,  this  is  really  the  best  plan,  and  that  there 
is  very  little  loss  of  valuable  material  occasioned  by  the 
exposure  of  the  manure  to  the  atmosphere,  whether  de- 
composed or  not.  But  there  is  even  a  stronger  reason 
for  the  method  of  manuring  which  I  recommend.  If 
the  roots  of  pear  trees  are  induced  to  go  a  long  way 
down  into  the  subsoil,  the  buds  and  leaves  will  start  in 
the  spring  before  the  earth  is  so  far  warmed  by  solar 
heat  as  to  excite  the  roots  into  full  action,  and  thus  a 


96  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

heavy  draft  must  be  made  upon  the  vitality  of  the  tree, 
by  the  grov*ing  foliage,  before  the  sap  begins  to  ascend 
with  sufficient  rapidity  to  meet  this  demand.  Again, 
in  the  fall,  when  the  earth  is  warmer  than  the  atmos- 
phere, the  roots  will  continue  too  long  in  an  active  state, 
thus  producing  a  succulent  growth  of  wood  late  in  the 
season,  long  after  the  whole  tree  ought  to  be  in  a  state 
of  repose,  in  order  to  ripen  its  wood.  Leaf-blight  in  the 
first  case,  and  frozen  sap  blight  in  the  other,  must  be 
the  inevitable  consequence  of  such  a  condition  of  the 
tree.  This  is  a  principle  of  the  highest  consequence  in 
the  management  of  fruit  trees,  grape  vines,  &c.  I  plant 
all  fruit  trees  as  shallow  as  possible,  having  due  regard 
to  the  natural  requirements  of  the  tree. 

Mr.  Norton  says  he  ^^  filled"  the  holes  dug  for  his 
trees  with  '^  carefully  prepared  compost,  having  all  the 
ingredients  prescribed  by  experts."  Now,  the  common 
advice  of  the  books  on  fruit  culture  is,  to  use  for  such 
composts  sod,  loam,  raw  and  ground  bones,  ashes,  plaster, 
slaughter-house  offal,  night-soil,  stable  manure,  &c.  Mr. 
Norton  writes  like  an  intelligent  man,  and  therefore  we 
will  not  suspect  him  of  using  a  mass  of  strong  rich  nitro- 
genous matter  and  alkalies,  sufficient  to  kill  any  tree  at 
once;  and,  indeed,  he  declares  that  the  compost  was 
<'  not  too  rich."  But  if  he  placed  under  his  trees  <'all 
the  ingredients  prescribed  by  experts,"  even  in  modera- 
tion, in  my  opinion,  he  committed  a  grave  error.  A 
transplanted  fruit  tree  should  never,  I  think,  be  placed 
either  in  or  u])on  such  a  compost,  or  any  other  manur- 


APPENDIX.  97 

ing  substance.  The  soil  should  be  well  pulverized,  and 
the  tree  should  be  planted  at  the  proper  depth  in  the 
simple,  natural,  good  top  soil  or  loam,  and  covered  with 
simple  mild  loam  only.  No  manure  should  be  placed 
under  it,  none  over  it  (at  first,)  and  none  nearer  than 
from  four  to  six  inches  from  it  on  the  sides. 

<<  The  transplanted  tree,"  says  Mr.  Jacob  Seneff,  a 
highly  successful  pear-grower  of  this  city,  <'  is  like  a 
child,  convalescent  from  some  severe  injury.  It  must 
not  be  fed  at  once  with  stimulants ;  it  must  have  time 
to  recover  itself  gradually  by  nature's  own  processes, 
before  you  give  it  rich  and  abundant  food."  There  is 
much  good  sense  in  this  remark.  To  say  nothing  of  the 
probability  that  you  may  destroy  the  tree  by  the  excess 
of  putrescent  matter,  and  the  powerful  chemical  action 
of  your  composts,  when  holes  two  and  a  half  feet  deep 
are  filled  with  <^  all  the  ingredients  prescribed  by  ex- 
perts," it  is  evident  that  a  young  transplanted  tree  needs 
no  such  material  to  help  its  growth  for  several  months, 
or  for  the  first  year.  The  best  compost  for  a  newly 
planted  tree  is  precisely  that  from  which  it  was  taken — 
the  simple,  natural  loam,  well  enriched  by  previous  cul- 
tivation. This  is  all  it  wants  to  assist  it  in  getting 
started  in  its  new  residence ;  this  is  nearly  all  it  will 
bear  without  injury. 

The  holes  for  pear  trees  on  quince  stocks,  in  my 
opinion,  should  be  dug  only  deep  enough  to  set  the  tree 
so  that  the  union  of  the  graft  shall  be  covered  an  inch 
or  so  with  the  natural  soil.    Put  no  manure  of  any  kind 

7 


98       BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE. 

under  or  over  them.  You  may,  if  you  please,  place  a 
little  compost  in  the  open  cavity,  as  you  are  filling  it  up, 
six  inches  from  them,  but  even  this  is  not  necessary. 
You  can  feed  them  soon  enough  and  amply  enough  by 
top-dressing  at  the  proper  time,  and  the  manure  will  be 
all  the  better  for  going  down  in  a  state  of  solution,  in- 
stead of  being  placed  around  the  roots  in  the  form  of 
gross  and  powerful  composts. 

The  haste  to  manure  transplanted  fruit  trees  is  not 
only  a  great  injury,  but  an  unnecessary  and  useless  ex- 
pense; and  the  cost  of  it,  as  advised  by  ^'the  experts,'^ 
prevents  a  great  many  persons  from  engaging  in  fruit 
culture.  The  very  excellent  and  elegant  treatise  on 
Pear  Culture  by  Mr.  Thomas  W.  Field,  the  intelligent 
Secretary  of  the  American  Pomological  Society,  recom- 
mends a  plan  of  trenching  and  manuring  as  a  necessary 
preparation  for  the  pear  orchard,  which,  I  think,  will 
not  only  have  a  tendency  to  deter  many  persons  from 
engaging  in  pear  culture,  but,  if  followed,  will  cause 
many  who  adopt  it  to  form  a  very  ill  opinion  of  the 
dwarf  pear.  Mr.  Field  says,  to  attain  the  highest  suc- 
cess, you  must  trench  the  whole  ground  three  feet  deep 
with  the  spade,  mixing  in  the  process  the  entire  top  soil 
and  subsoil  to  that  depth,  and  incorporating  with  the 
whole  fifty  two-horse  loads  of  stable-manure  per  acre. 
Not  only  so,  but  he  advises  well-rotted  stable-manure  to 
be  placed  in  the  holes  when  the  trees  are  planted,  and 
more  manure  to  be  sprinkled  in  as  the  holes  are  filled 


APPENDIX.  99 

up,  only  taking  care  not  to  allow  the  manure  to  come  in 
contact  with  the  roots  ! 

Now,  to  say  nothing  of  the  fact  that  stable-manure 
alone  is  not  the  best  manure  for  fruit  trees,  the  cost  of 
trenching  an  acre  of  land  upon  this  plan,  he  admits,  will 
be  $100.  Fifty  two-horse  loads  of  stable-manure  will 
cost,  six  miles  from  Philadelphia,  from  1250  to  $300. 
Four  hundred  good  dwarf  pear  trees  for  an  acre,  with 
labor  of  planting,  &c.,  will  cost  at  least  $200;  thus 
making  the  first  outlay  for  an  acre  of  trees,  from  $550  to 
$600.  This,  with  the  value  of  the  land,  after-culture, 
and  risk,  is  rather  too  high  a  figure  to  render  the  culture 
of  dwarf  pears,  "  for  market  purposes,''  an  inviting  specu- 
lation. 

Now,  the  truth  is,  a  soil  suitable  for  a  pear  orchard 
may  be  thoroughly  prepared  with  the  sub-soil  plough, 
by  CT'OSS-ploughing,  at  about  the  cost  of  four  ordinary 
ploughings  and  two  harrowings.  This  will  give  a  soil 
eighteen  inches  in  depth,  well  pulverized,  which  is 
ample.  No  general  manuring  is  required;  and,  if  done, 
will  be  a  great  waste  of  means.  In  all  other  respects, 
except  that  noticed,  Mr.  Field's  book  is  a  good  one,  and 
exhibits,  on  the  part  of  its  author,  not  only  much  literary 
skill,  but  a  highly  refined  and  susceptible  nature. 

For  myself,  I  believe  that  the  pear  on  the  quince 
stock,  if  planted,  as  I  have  suggested,  in  the  simple  loam 
of  a  proper  soil,  well  ploughed  and  sub-soiled,  in  a 
sheltered  situation  and  proper  exposure,  and  afterwards 
mulched,  and    top-dressed    with    proper    manures,    and 


100  BRIGHT    ON     GRAPE    CULTURE. 

properly  pruned,  and  moderately  fruited,  will  exhibit  a 
degree  of  success  far  beyond  that  reported  by  Messrs. 
Allen,  Norton  and  others,  in  all  the  middle  and  seaboard 
States  of  the  Union,  and  will  reward  its  cultivators  with 
luscious  and  profitable  harvests  for  a  satisfactory  number 
of  years. 


For  the  sake  of  the  cause,  we  must  be  excused  for 
brin^-ino-  T.  W.  Field,  Esq.,  forward  to  testify  in  favor 
of  our  views  on  this  subject.  He  has  shown  such  a 
noble  and  generous  spirit,  in  this  matter,  that  we  feel 
confident  of  his  forgiveness.  In  the  Gardener'' s  Month! ij 
for  May,  1859,  may  be  found  an  article  from  which  wc 
quote  the  following  passages : 

PEAR  CULTURE. 

Bt    T.    W.    FIELD,   NEW   YORK. 

The  communication  from  Mr.  Bright  is  conceived  in 
SO  kindly  a  spirit  of  criticism,  and  written  with  so  much 
intelligence,  that  I  cannot  allow  him  to  retain  a  misap- 
prehension upon  the  subject,  nor  omit  to  confess  that 
there  is  just  grounds  for  his  stricture  upon  the  articlo 
on  Trenching  and  Manuring  in  Pear  Culture. 

I  have  not  hitherto  noticed  any  of  the  critiques  upon 
niy  hrochure,  for  several  reasons )  principally  because  I 
was  heartily  tired  of  writing  upon  the  subject,  but  occa- 


APPENDIX.  101 

sionally,  because  they  were  ill-natured,  or  written  by 
those  who  had  little  interest  in  the  subject.  To  Mr. 
Bright  let  me  say,  that  he  has  given  me  the  first  mis- 
givings upon  the  policy  of  what  I  had  written,  and  that 
I  confess  his  view  to  be  the  most  philosophical  regard- 
ing pear  culture. 

Still  I  must  do  myself  the  justice  to  say,  that  the 
great  expense  I  recommended  was  qualified  in  several 
places  in  the  book,  by  stating  that  it  was  the  extreme 
of  high  cultivation,  and  that  I  felt  it  necessary  to  ex- 
plain the  processes  by  which  the  very  highest  result 
could  be  reached. 

On  those  wretchedly  light  soils  which  it  has  been  my 
fortune  to  cultivate,  much  less  labor  would  scarcely 
secure  success. 


"We  have  since  learned  that  Mr.  Field  planted  his 
pear  trees  on  some  city  lots,  which  had  been  filled  up 
with  poor  soil  and  rubbish,  and  that  it  was  necessary 
for  him  to  manure  heavily,  to  bring  the  soil  into  a  fer- 
tile condition.  His  own  practice  was  no  doubt  correct, 
but  the  advice  in  his  book  was  too  much  after  the  old 
Downing  method,  and  was  certainly  not  judicious.  "We 
are  all  too  much  in  the  habit  of  supposing  that  the 
practice  which  proves  successful  on  any  particular  piece 
of  soil,  will  be  suited  to  all  soils.  "We  do  not  wish  to 
punish   Mr.  Field   for  his  want  of  reflection ;  we  only 


102  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE. 

desire  to  put  tlic  Secretary  of  the  American  Pomologi- 
cal  Society,  wliere  lie  has  voluntarily  placed  himself,  on 
our  side,  in  this  discussion. 

The  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  President  of  the 
American  Pomological  Society,  after  all  his  talk  about 
''  high  culture,"  for  the  pear,  still  holds  a  position  very 
similar  to  that  which  we  advocate.  We  quote  from  the 
Pteport  of  the  Pomological  Lectures  at  New  Haven, 
published  in  the  Gardener'' &  Montlily.  After  Mr. 
Wilder's  lecture  on  the  pear — "  A  member  called  in 
question  the  propriety  of  <•  high  culture'  (as  generally 
understood)  for  the  pear  on  good  soils,  or  the  free  ma- 
nuring of  the  pear  tree,  and  esp^ially  dwarf  pears,  with 
stable  manure,  as  might  be  supposed  necessary  from  the 
remarks  of  Mr.  Wilder.  This,  he  contended,  was  not 
practised  by  the  most  successful  cultivators  where  the 
soil  is  good.  Mr.  Wilder  not  being  present,  it  was  ex- 
plained by  a  friend,  that  he  did  not  intend  to  say  that 
the  pe?.r  should  be  freely  manured  with  stable  manure 
on  good  soils,  as  he  does  on  the  poor,  thin,  gravelly 
soil  of  Dorchester ;  and  in  proof  of  this,  a  passage  was 
quoted  from  his  lecture,  as  follows  :  <■  Surely  it  would  be 
unwise  to  apply  the  same  cultivation  to  the  peach  and 
the  cherry  as  to  the  apple  and  the  pear,  or  to  treat  any 
of  these  on  new  and  fertile  ground  as  in  old  and  ex- 
hausted land.' 

"The  subject  of  deep  and  shallow  planting,  especi- 
ally in  its  application  to  the  pear,  came  up  in  this  same 
discussion,  and  was  pretty  freely  ventilated.     The  re- 


APPENDIX  103 

suit  of  ifc  was,  a  very  general  impression  that  pears,  and 
especially  the  quince-rooted  trees,  have  been  planted  too 
deeply,  and  that  their  roots  should,  if  possible,  be  kept 
out  of  the  subsoil.  To  do  this,  the  pear  must  be  budded 
low  upon  the  quince  stock,  and  the  main  root  must  be 
shortened  as  much  as  possible  when  set  out;  and  in 
some  instances  it  is  better  to  make  a  slight  concave 
mound  around  them  with  soil,  (in  order  to  cover  the 
quince  stock  completely,)  rather  than  to  set  them  too 
deep  in  the  ground.  Much  valuable  information  upon 
these  topics  was  elicited  from  Mr.  Barry,  the  distin- 
guished nurseryman  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  who  was  in 
favor  of  a  moderate  depth  in  planting  the  dwarf  pear, 
(always  keeping  the  quince  root  entirely  covered,)  and 
of  manuring  only  with  well  decomposed  muck  and  ma- 
nure compost,  and  not  with  fresh,  highly  stimulating 
stable  manure.'' 

P.  Barry,  Esq.,  of  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  his  lectures 
at  New  Haven,  on  the  nursery  and  orchard  manage- 
ment of  fruit  trees,  presented  views  which  well  accord 
with  our  own,  upon  the  subject  of  planting.  We  quote 
from  the  correspondence  of  the  Gardener'' 8  Monthly  : 

"  Mr.  Barry  advocated  the  preparation  of  the  soil  for 
the  nursery  and  orchard,  by  ploughing  and  subsoiling 
to  the  depth  of  eighteen  inches,  and  cross-ploughing 
and  subsoiling  when  necessary,  (and  under-draining,  if 
needed,)  as  amply  sufficient  in  good  soils,  without 
trenching  and  turning  up  the  subsoil  three  feet  deep, 
as  some  have  recommended.      He  also  opposed  very 


104  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE. 

deep  planting,  and  the  use  of  liighlj  stimulating  ma- 
nures, for  pear  trees  on  good  soils.  He  manures  his 
own  pear  trees  with  old  compost  of  peat  and  manure 
every  year,  applying  it  in  the  fall." 

Thomas  Meehan,  Esq.,  the  talented  and  highly 
practical  editor  of  the  Gardener's  Monthly  also  en- 
dorses our  views  on  the  necessity  of  keeping  the  roots 
of  fruit  trees  and  vines  as  near  the  surface  of  the  ground 
as  possible,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  remarks  which  he 
appended  to  our  article  on  the  shallow  planting  of 
trees,  which  we  take  the  liberty  to  insert  in  this  Ap- 
pendix. 

P.  B.  Mead,  Esq.,  the  present  editor  of  the  Ilorticul- 
tiirist,  in  a  valuable  article  on  the  causes  of  pear  blight, 
in  the  number  for  February,  1860,  gives  the  result  of 
fifteen  years'  experience  in  pear  culture,  proving  that 
deep  planting  is  fatal  to  the  dwarf  pear,  while  under 
what  may  be  called  surface  planting,  the  trees  were 
successful. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  President  and  Secretary  of 
the  American  Pomological  Society,  the  editors  of  the 
two  leading  horticultural  journals  in  America,  and  the 
principal  nurseryman  in  the  Union,  all  expressing  views 
similar  to  our  own,  on  the  evils  of  deep  planting  and 
heavy  manuring  for  fruit  trees ;  and  we  think  we  may 
therefore  fairly  claim,  that  if  we  are  considered  by  some 
persons  a  little  radical  in  our  positions,  we  are  not,  at 
any  rate,  a  positive  pomological  heretic. 

We  now  copy  from  the   Gardener's  Monthly ,  one  of 


APPENDIX.  105 

OTir  articles  on  shallow  planting,  as  it  has  a  direct  bear- 
ing upon  the  principles  advocated  in  this  work ;  and 
also  an  article  from  the  same  journal,  on  the  inside  and 
divided  border,  for  the  vinery,  which  being  stated  in 
words  different  from  those  employed  in  this  essay,  may 
assist  the  reader  to  comprehend  the  construction  of  the 
new  border. 


Shallow  Planting  of  Trees ;  Merits  of 
tlie  Practice. 

BY     WILLIAM    BRIGHT. 


It  has  been  our  custom  for  many  years,  in  planting 
trees  of  all  kinds — evergreens,  ornamental  and  fruit 
trees — to  set  them  as  near  the  surface  of  the  ground  as 
possible,  often  exciting  much  alarm  for  the  safety  of  the 
trees  in  the  minds  of  anxious  amateurs,  and  much  con- 
tempt on  the  part  of  incipient  gardeners,  for  the  seem- 
ing absurdity  of  the  practice.  But  having  somehow 
got  the  idea  into  our  head  that  this  method  of  planting 
trees  was  the  true  natural  method,  we  obstinately  per- 
severed in  it,  and  now,  after  more  than  ten  years'  expe- 
rience in  the  practice,  it  has  grown  into  a  settled  system 
with  us,  and  we  have  begun  to  find  out  the  reasons  why 
it  is  really  the  best  and  most  judicious  plan  of  planting 
trees. 

In  transplanting  good  specimens  of  evergreens,  we 
usually  endeavor  to  lift  them  with  a  ball  of  earth  at- 
tached to  the  roots,  fifteen  or  eighteen  inches  deep,  and 
two  feet  or  more  in  diameter.  For  such  a  tree,  we  make 
a  hole  only  four  inches  deep,  setting  it,  in  fact  almost 

(IOC) 


APPENDIX.  107 

on  the  surface  of  the  groimd.  Then  we  throw  about  it 
one  or  two  cart  loads  of  good  loam,  working  it  up  into 
a  sort  of  mound,  of  a  concave  or  crescent  form,  sloping 
off  to  a  distance  of  six  feet  from  the  tree  on  all  sides. 
After  this  we  mulch  the  whole  mound  very  heavily  with 
leaf  mould,  or  old  litter,  and  keep  it  so  mulched,  winter 
and  summer,  for  two  years.  The  mulch  must  be  heavy 
enough  to  keep  the  mound  constantly  moist  in  summer, 
and  to  keep  out  frost  in  winter. 

Deciduous  trees  we  plant  in  the  same  way,  as  near 
the  surface  as  possible,  and  rarely  dig  a  hole  over  four 
to  six  inches  deep.  If  the  bottom  roots  are  too  long, 
we  shorten  them.  In  setting  the  tree,  we  spread  out 
the  roots  on  every  side,  so  as  to  form  a  natural  support 
to  the  tree,  in  the  same  way  that  the  ropes  or  guys 
support  a  derrick.  The  same  rule  of  planting  we  apply, 
as  nearly  as  possible,  to  fruit  trees,  though  it  is  often 
difficult  to  do  this  with  some  of  the  stock  obtained  from 
the  common  nurseries.  A  great  mistake  is  made  by 
some  nurserymen  in  working  pears  on  the  quince ; 
they  almost  always  work  them  too  high  on  the  stem. 
If  budded  as  low  as  they  ought  to  be,  (right  down  on 
the  crown  of  the  quince  root,)  they  could  be  planted 
shallow  much  more  successfully ;  it  would  enable  us  to 
cover  the  bud  with  two  or  three  inches  of  soil,  without 
being  compelled  to  plunge  the  roots  deep  into  the  cold 
and  sterile  sub-soil. 

And  here  let  us  say,  that  in  setting  out  deciduous 
ornamental  trees,  and  standard  fruit  trees,  after  the 


108  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

method  here  describedj  it  is  necessary  to  pay  particular 
attention  to  the  fact  that  the  roots  must  be  spread  out 
horizontally,  at  right  angles  to  the  tree,  no  matter  how- 
tough  thev  may  be,  or  how  difficult  it  may  seem  to  do 
this.  If  the  tree  be  set  with  the  roots  extending  per- 
pendicularly downward,  as  they  usually  come  from  the 
nurpery,  it  will  be  impossible  to  plant  in  shallow  holes, 
as  the  tree  would  project  too  far  out  of  the  ground. 
The  tree  must  not  be  set  in  the  soil  like  a  broom,  but 
rather  with  its  roots  spread  out  precisely  like  a  chicken's 
foot,  with  the  toes  extended  at  right  angles  from  the 
leg.  In  this  position  it  must  be  held  firmly  down  till 
covered  heavily  with  soil,  when  it  will  remain  in 
place.  The  roots  will  then  have  the  right  direction  for 
extending  into  the  adjacent  top  soil. 

For  all  kinds  of  trees  we  like  to  have  the  soil  tho- 
roughly and  deeply  ploughed  and  subsoiled  3  but  the 
method  of  planting  here  recommended,  renders  deep 
trenching,  and  heavy  manuring,  and  underdraining,  in 
a  majority  of  instances,  quite  unnecessary.  Indeed,  if 
we  were  to  plant  a  fruit  garden  and  lawn  for  ourselves, 
to-day,  we  would  rather  have  all  the  trees  set  only  two 
to  four  inches  deep,  in  the  decently  good  loam  of  a 
tolerably  porous  soil,  (say  a  fair  corn-field,)  which  had 
been  subsoiled  fifteen  inches  deep,  without  a  particle  of 
manure,  than  to  have  a  field  trenched  three  feet  deep, 
and  manured  at  the  rate  of  two  hundred  horse-loads  of 
manure  to  the  acre,  if  the  trees  were  to  be  set  in  the 
usual  way,  in  deep  holes  dug  for  the  purpose,  so  as  to 


APPENDIX.  109 

force  or  invite  the  main  roots  two  or  three  feet  down- 
wards into  the  ungenial  subsoil. 

Our  chief  reasons  for  this  shallow  planting  are  these  : 
it  is  nature's  own  method  of  growing  trees,  and  experi- 
ence has  proved  to  us  that  man  has  never  devised  a 
better.  In  the  forest  and  field,  wherever  trees  grow 
naturally,  you  will  always  find  the  largest  number  of 
roots  just  under  the  surface  of  the  earth,  in  the  top 
soil.  Few  or  no  roots,  except  the  tap  roots,  extend 
downwards  very  deeply,  but  in  the  forest  they  run 
along  for  an  immense  distance  just  under  the  mulching 
of  leaves,  which  both  feed  and  protect  them.  A  com- 
mon loamy  soil  is  only  about  six  or  eight  inches  deep, 
and  this  is  all  the  material  there  really  is  in  a  field  in  a 
condition  to  furnish  food  for  trees.  Now,  if  you  set  a 
tree  very  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  the  roots  will 
extend  rapidly,  freely  and  widely  in  the  good  top  soil, 
and  there  they  find  their  appropriate  nutriment.  If  the 
light  is  excluded  by  mulching,  as  is  done  in  the  forest 
by  leaves,  you  have  all  the  conditions  necessary  for 
chemical  changes  in  the  soil,  and  root  feeding,  viz  : 
heat,  moisture  and  darkness;  and  no  crude,  cold,  sour, 
uncongenial  particles  of  matter  to  obstruct  or  poison  the 
roots.  Decomposition  is  constantly  going  on  in  the 
surface  soil,  and  this  is  materially  aided  by  plant  life, 
which  vegetable  physiologists  tell  us  acts  like  a  ferment 
in  dough,  or  like  lime  in  muck,  setting  up  chemical 
changes  in  the  soil,  which  go  on  afterwards  to  an  almost 
unlimited  extent. 


110  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE. 

A  surface-planted  tree  is  placed  in  its  natural  ele- 
ment, a  well  decomposed  and  rapidly  changing  soil.  Its 
roots  get  plenty  of  air,  and  if  well  mulched,  are  always 
moist;  they  become  like  the  body  and  branches  of  the 
tree  itself,  accustomed  to  changes  of  temperature,  and 
in  the  fall  ripen  and  harden  off  their  icood  almost  in 
the  same  way  that  a  grape  vine  does  its  branches.  But 
still  the  roots  of  a  well  mulched  tree  are  never  so  liable 
to  be  affected  by  frost  as  even  a  deeply  planted  tree, 
for  you  will  frequently  find  in  the  forest,  under  a  heavy 
covering  of  leaves,  in  winter,  that  the  frost  has  only 
penetrated  to  the  depth  of  two  inches,  when  in  exposed 
ground  the  soil  is  frosted  to  the  depth  of  four  feet. 

A  surface-planted  tree,  immediately  fed  with  one  or 
two  cart-loads  of  good  loam,  placed  around  the  cut  ends 
of  its  roots,  and  well  mulched,  is  in  a  much  more  favor- 
able condition  to  live  and  thrive,  than  a  tree  plunged 
deeply  down  into  a  cold,  dank  cistern  of  a  hole,  even  if 
supplied  with  abundance  of  manure,  and  all  sorts  of 
special  fertilizers.  The  surface-planted  tree  can  and 
will  send  out  its  roots  far  and  wide  in  the  adjacent  sur- 
face-soil ;  but  the  deeply  planted  tree  finds  nothing  con- 
genial or  inviting  in  the  soil  around  its  roots,  even  if 
that  soil  be  so  well  trenched  or  sub-soiled  that  it  is  able 
to  penetrate  it.  A  very  large  proportion  of  all  the  fail- 
ures which  have  been  made  in  growing  fruit  trees,  and 
especially  the  pear,  are  to  be  attributed,  in  our  opinion, 
to  deep  planting  and  excessive  manuriag.  Nature 
shows  us  plainly  what  to  do:  plant  shallow,  give  all  ma- 


APPENDIX.  Ill 

nures  in  light  and  frequent  doses,  and  protect  the  roots 
from  sun  and  frost  by  mulching. 

As  evidence  of  the  practical  merit  of  the  plan  of  sur- 
face-planting which  we  advocate,  we  will  take  the  li- 
berty to  refer  to  the  magnificent  specimens  of  Norway 
Spruce,  Austrian  Pine,  and  other  evergreens,  on  the 
lawn  of  J.  S.  Lovering,  Esq.,  of  Oak  Hill,  on  Old  York 
Koad,  near  Philadelphia,  which  we  planted  upon  this 
system.  These  fine  trees  were  about  four  feet,  and  four 
feet  six  inches  high  when  planted.  They  were  taken 
up  with  balls  of  earth  about  eighteen  inches  deep  and 
two  feet  in  diameter,  and  set  on  the  surface  of  the  lawn 
in  cavities  not  more  than  three  or  four  inches  deep; 
mounds  were  formed  around  them  with  good,  loam,  and 
they  were  mulched  for  two  years  as  before  described. 
They  never  met  with  any  check  or  injury;  the  foliage 
never  sufi"ered  in  the  least ;  and  they  are  now,  when 
only  six  years  planted,  the  finest  of  specimen  trees,  up- 
wards of  eighteen  and  twenty  feet  high,  the  admiration 
of  every  beholder  competent  to  judge  of  their  excel- 
lence and  beauty. 

The  same  may  be  said  of  the  evergreens  which  we 
planted  five  years  ago  on  the  grounds  of  J.  Swift,  Esq., 
half  a  mile  north  of  Mr.  Lovering,  on  the  York  Road, 
in  a  very  exposed,  bleak  situation.  Here,  where  the 
white  pine  deeply  planted,  turned  brown  and  lost  its 
foliage  in  winter,  the  Austrians,  shallow  planted,  not 
only  endured   the    fierce  north-westers  without  injury, 


112  BRIGHT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

but  always  made  a  fine  growth,  and  retained,  under  all 
circumstances,  their  rich  native  luxuriance. 

There  are  other  lawns  in  our  immediate  vicinity, 
where  we  have  planted  evergreens,  and  all  sorts  of  deli- 
cate deciduous  trees,  in  September  and  November,  upon 
this  system  of  shallow  beds,  with  moun  's  and  mulch- 
ing, without  losing  one  tree  in  a  thousand,  and  with  a 
degree  of  success  in  the  growth  and  beauty  of  the  trees, 
•which  rarely  results  from  the  common  method  of  dig- 
ging holes. 

We  have  now  partially  under  our  care,  a  pear  orchard 
of  upwards  of  one  thousand  dwarf  and  standard  trees, 
planted  shallow  and  well  mulched,  one  year  ago,  accord- 
ing to  our  advice  and  direction,  without  a  particle  of 
stable  manure  under  or  about  them,  with  a  loss  of  only 
two  trees  in  a  thousand  ;  and  a  finer  pear  orchard,  of 
the  same  age  and  size,  we  feel  assured,  has  never  been 
seen  in  Pennsylvania.  When  this  orchard  gets  into  bear- 
ing, we  intend  to  give  a  full  description  of  our  entire  sys- 
tem of  planting,  manuring  and  pruning.  We  have,  this 
fall,  planted  in  this  same  orchard,  nearly  three  thousand 
more  pear  trees,  as  shallow  as  possible,  in  no  instance 
thrusting  the  spade,  in  digging  the  holes  for  them,  into 
the  sub-soil.  The  field  has  been  thoroughly  subsoiled, 
but  not  trenched  or  underdrained.  The  soil  is,  how- 
ever, a  good  one,  and  the  subsoil  is  gravelly  and  porous. 
As  to  the  propriety,  and  even  necessity,  of  shallow 
planting  in  setting  out  trees,  in  all  cases,  to  insure  the 


APPENDIX.  113 

highest  degree  of  success,  we  have  no  particle  of  doubt. 
We  believe  it  is  the  only  true  and  natural  method. 

And  now,  my  dear  amateur  fruit  grower,  if  you  have 
a  poor,  sickly,  unthrifty  tree,  deeply  planted,  which 
looks  stunted  and  blighty,  let  me  beg  of  you  to  try  an 
experiment  with  it : — ^just  dig  the  unfortunate  tree  out 
of  the  cold,  rank  grave  in  which  you  planted  it,  at 
once ;  lift  it  up  gently  with  a  large  ball  of  earth  at- 
tached to  its  roots,  and  place  it  on  the  good,  warm, 
sweet  surface  soil,  in  a  cavity  which  you  can  make 
with  your  foot,  say  two  inches  deep ;  throw  around  it  a 
little  good  loam,  mound  up  to  it,  and  mulch  it  heavily, 
cut  back  the  top  freely  in  proportion  to  the  loss  of  roots, 
and  our  word  for  it,  you  will  see  a  change  in  the  health 
and  fruitfulness  of  your  tree,  in  a  few  months,  which 
will  delight  and  astonish  you. 

Sub-soil  ploughing,  shallow  planting,  heavy  mulch- 
ing and  surface  manuring  are  the  cardinal  points  in 
fruit  culture.  Under-draining  may  sometimes  be  ne- 
cessary in  heavy,  wet  soils,  but  with  shallow  planting, 
this  expense,  and  also  that  of  trenching,  may  be  often 
avoided. 

The  editoi  of  the  Gardener's  MontTily  added  the 
following  note : — 

"  We  believe  one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  very  first 
article  we  ever  wrote,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  A.  J. 
Downing,  for  his  <■  Horticulturist,'  many  years  ago,  waa 

8 


lU      BRIGHT  ON  GRAPE  CULTURE. 

on  the  same  subject,  aud  presentiug  similar  views  as 
we  have  now  the  pleasure  of  inserting  from  the  pen 
of  Mr.  Bright,  and  it  is  therefore  needless  to  say  how 
cordially  we  agree  with  him.  We  are  at  all  times 
pleased  to  hear  from  Mr.  Bright  on  any  subject.'^ 


New  method  of  Constructing  Vineriegf 

DETACHED    AND    DIVIDED    BORDERS,    ENTIRELY 
INSIDE   THE    HOUSE. 

BY   WILLIAM    BRIGHT. 


We  have  for  a  long  time  been  of  opinion  that  the 
common  method  of  constructing  vineries,  with  the  bor- 
der partly  outside  of  the  house,  was  not  only  unneces- 
sary but  absolutely  injurious  to  the  health  and  fruiting 
capacity  of  the  vines.  The  success  which  we  have  at- 
tained in  growing  grapes  in  eleven  inch  pots,  producing 
a  large  crop  of  the  finest  fruit  without  allowing  the 
roots  to  extend  beyond  the  limits  of  the  pot,  convinced 
us  that  borders  of  the  size  usually  made  were  quite  un- 
necessary. A  moment's  reflection  upon  the  position  of 
a  vine,  with  part  of  its  roots  and  all  its  wood  in  a  hot- 
house, and  its  main  roots  out  of  doors,  would  suffice  to 
impress  any  one  at  all  familiar  with  grape  culture,  with 
the  evident  absurdity  of  the  practice.  Those  who  have 
had  any  experience  in  the  matter,  know  how  much  we 
are  at  the  mercy  of  the  elements  when  vines  are  so 
planted,  how  little  we  can  control  the  heat  or  moisture 
of  the  border,  and  what  sad   attacks   the  frost  makes 

(115) 


116  BRiailT    ON    GRAPE    CULTURE. 

upon  tlie  roots  of  the  vines  after  all  our  care  in  mulch- 
ing, &c. 

To  break  away  from  a  custom,  so  hoary  and  re- 
verend as  this,  is  almost  impossible ;  but  we  determined 
to  do  it,  and  now  present  for  the  consideration  of  gar- 
deners a  vinery  constructed  with  the  border  not  only 
entirely  inside  the  house,  but  detached  from  the  front 
wall  by  an  air  chamber  four  inches  wide,  separated 
also  from  the  bottom  soil  by  concrete  and  air  cham- 
bers, and  from  the  earth  inside  the  house  by  similar 
air  chambers,  and  then  divided  into  sections  two  feet 
wide  by  brick  work,  so  that  the  roots  of  one  vine  can- 
not mingle  with  the  others,  but  each  must  remain  as 
separate  and  distinct  as  if  grown  in  a  pot.  This  we 
call  a  detached  and  divided  inside  border,  and  we  might 
add  a  suspended  border,  also,  for  the  border  is  abso- 
lutely suspended  in  air,  and  nowhere  do  the  sides  of 
the  border  touch  the  adjacent  soil  or  wall  of  the  house. 
Under  this  arrangement,  we  attain  a  perfect  drainage, 
and  have  entire  control  over  the  temperature  and  mois- 
ture of  the  border,  and  we  think  it  will  work  admirably 
in  practice. 

We  have  just  built  a  cold  vinery  on  this  plan,  one 
hundred  feet  long,  with  a  fixed  roof,  and  a  new  method 
of  ventilation,  by  means  of  numerous  front  and  back 
shutters,  which  in  our  vanity  we  are  pleased  to  think 
is  a  model  of  cheapness,  beauty,  and  efiicient  working 
capacity.  The  house  is  a  lean-to,  seventeen  teet  wide, 
built  in  the  best  manner,  and  cost,  with  a  back  wall  uf 


ArrENDix.  117 

concrete,  sixteea  inches  thick,  solid  as  scone,  onlj  about 
$i50. 

Without  illustrations  we  can  scarcely  give  a  working 
plan  of  the  house,  but  we  may  present  such  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  border  as  will  serve  to  convey  a  pretty  good 
idea  of  it. 

The  box  or  pit,  into  which  the  soil  is  placed,  is  con- 
structed of  brick-work,  resting  upon  a  concrete  bottom. 
This  concrete  bottom  is  so  bevelled  as  to  throw  the 
drainage  into  a  channel  constructed  on  one  side,  to 
carry  off  excess  of  water.  Bricks  are  then  set  on  edge, 
eight  and  a  half  inches  apart,  running  in  lines  from 
the  front  of  the  house  towards  the  back,  and  commenc- 
ing four  inches  from  the  front  wall,  forming  a  set  of 
piers,  as  it  were,  for  the  bottom  of  the  pit  to  rest  upon, 
and  also  forming  tubes,  or  air  chambers  under  the  pit, 
for  air  to  pass  freely.  The  bottom  of  the  pit  is  now 
laid  with  dry  brick-work  upon  these  lines  or  piers  of 
brick,  set  on  edge,  being  just  the  length  of  one  brick 
apart.  As  soon  as  the  bottom  of  the  pit  was  thus  laid, 
we  built  a  wall  of  brick  four  inches  thick,  (the  width  of 
one  brick,)  four  inches  from  the  front  wall  of  the  house, 
to  the  height  of  two  feet.  We  then  divided  the  pit 
into  sections  of  two  feet,  by  erecting  walls  of  brick  set 
on  edge,  from  the  front  to  the  back  of  the  pit,  of  the 
same  height  as  the  front  wall,  making  fifty  sections  or 
divisions  in  one  hundred  feet.  After  this,  we  finished 
the  inside  of  the  pit  with  boards,  leaving  a  passage  of 
four  inches  open  to  the  air  chambers  below,  so  that  the 


118  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURE. 

atmosphere  of  the  house  may  circuhite  entirely  uuder 
the  border  without  obstruction. 

.  This  completes  the  detached  and  divided  border.  It 
consists,  in  fact,  of  a  huge  brick  pit,  separated  from  the 
front,  bottom,  and  inside  of  the  house  by  air  chambers 
four  inches  wide,  and  divided  into  sections,  or  large 
pots  or  tubs,  by  brick  walls.  Each  section  or  division 
is  two  feet  wide,  three  feet  long,  and  two  feet  deep,  and 
will  contain  soil  enough  to  grow  and  fruit  a  vine  fifteen 
feet  long,  (with  the  addition  of  manures  and  special 
fertilizers,  by  top-dressing,)  for  many  years. 

Now  what  are  the  advantages  of  such  a  border  ?  We 
answer,  the  roots  of  the  vines  are  placed  entirely  beyond 
the  reach  of  frost  and  rain ;  and  we  have  the  most  per- 
fect control  over  the  temperature  and  moisture  of  the 
whole  border,  at  top  and  bottom.  The  border  does  not 
even  touch  the  front  wall  of  the  house,  which  in  cold 
weather  must  be  a  constant  conductor  of  heat  away  from 
the  border,  doing  immense  mischief,  especially  in  a 
forcing  house.  We  can  keep  the  border  perfectly  dry 
as  long  as  we  please  in  the  spring,  and  we  can  dry  it  off 
as  soon  and  as  completely  as  we  please  in  the  fall.  The 
bottom  of  the  border  must  always  have  an  atmosphere 
about  it  of  the  same  temperature  as  the  top-soil,  or 
nearly  so.  We  avoid  the  expense  and  care  of  a  large 
border,  which  we  are  convinced  is  not  only  entirely  un- 
necessary, but  often  highly  injurious  to  the  health  and 
fruitfulness  of  the  vines. 

Again,  with  regard  to  the  divisions  into  sections  or 


APPENDIX.  119 

large  pots,  we  can  discover  numerous  and  important  ad 
vantages.  It  enables  us  to  grow,  in  immediate  proxi- 
mity, vines  of  different  degrees  of  vigor,  which  cannot 
be  so  grown  in  a  common  border,  where  the  roots  min- 
gle together,  without  injury  to  the  weaker  kinds.  It 
gives  us  an  opportunity  to  water  or  to  stimulate  one 
vine  without  affecting  another,  or  to  withhold  water 
from  one  without  diminishing  the  growth  of  its  neigh- 
bor. It  permits  us  to  try  experiments  with  different 
fertilizing  agents  on  single  vines,  and  thus  much  may 
be  learned,  by  comparison,  of  the  value  of  different  fer- 
tilizers, which  cannot  be  done  in  a  common  border, 
with  the  same  ease  and  precision.  In  the  divided  bor- 
der, we  can  take  out  and  put  in  vines  at  pleasure,  with- 
out injury  to  the  roots  of  other  vines,  and  without 
breaking  up  a  large  portion  of  the  border.  If  any  vine 
proves  too  weak,  or  of  a  poor  quality,  we  may  remove  it 
at  once,  and  replace  it  with  another  vine  of  a  better 
character,  with  the  greatest  ease,  and  the  young  vine  so 
introduced,  having  a  section  of  the  pit  all  to  itself,  will 
receive  no  check  from  the  roots  of  other  vines.  This  is 
an  important  advantage.  There  is  no  reason  why  we 
should  be  so  much  hampered  by  the  impossibility  of 
changing  the  stock  of  a  vinery,  without  grafting,  in- 
arching, &c.  By  the  plan  here  described,  all  this  diffi- 
culty is  avoided,  and  we  may  change  the  vines  in  a 
house,  as  easily  as  we  change  the  stock  in  our  pots ;  re- 
moving unprofitable  vines,  and  substituting  fresh  ones, 
well  grown,  from  pots,  ready  for  fruiting  in  a  single 


120  BRIGHT     ON     GRAPE     CULTURl^. 

year,  whenever  we  choose,  without  diflSculty,  or  without 
injury  to  the  balance  of  the  house. 

This  border,  you  will  say,  remains  to  be  tried.  This 
is  true  ;  but  if  we  can  fruit  a  vine  with  success  and  pro- 
fit in  an  eleven  inch  pot,  containing  only  about  half  a 
cubic  foot  of  soil,  can  we  not  fruit  a  longer  cane  as  suc- 
cessfully in  twelve  or  fifteen  cubic  feet  of  soil,  in  the 
detached  border  ? 

Then,  again,  this  border  may  easily  be  extended,  if 
found  necessary,  to  six  feet  or  more  long,  with  very 
little  trouble  and  expense,  though  we  doubt  whether 
this  will  be  required  for  many  years.  Or,  the  border 
may  be  made  wider  at  first.  But  we  think  we  prefer  to 
have  the  inside  of  the  house  for  other  purposes,  (at 
least  for  a  year  or  two,)  say  for  a  propagating  bed,  or 
for  a  row  of  figs,  or  anything  else  you  please.  "VVe 
shall  of  course  expect  to  top-dress  the  border  very  freely 
with  liquid  manure,  and  special  fertilizers;  and  we 
much  prefer  this  method  of  growing  grapes,  where 
every  part  of  the  culture  is  under  perfect  control,  to 
having  large,  cumbrous,  sodden,  sour,  useless  borders, 
exposed  to  rain  and  frost,  over  which  we  have  little  or 
no  control. 

The  house  in  question,  which  we  have  just  complet- 
ed, is  somewhat  new  in  its  construction,  in  other  re- 
spects than  those  alluded  to.  It  is  set  upon  a  terrace 
two  feet  high,  to  prevent  it  from  looking  too  low,  but 
the  front  sash  and  ventilator  is  only  eighteen  inches 
wide,  and  hence  the  roof  is  brought  within  two  feet  of 


APPENDIX.  121 

the  border,  and  the  house  is  nowhere  more  than  six 
feet  and  a  half  high,  and  has  such  a  pitch  to  the  roof 
that  the  grapes,  when  formed,  must  hang  down,  inside 
of  the  house,  under  and  clear  of  the  foliage,  which,  we 
think,  adds  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  sight  which  a 
house  in  full  fruiting  condition  exhibits  to  the  spec- 
tator. 


INDEX. 


Outline  of  Bright's  Dwarf  System  of  Grape  Culture, 
Culture  of  the  Grape  in  Pots,  . 
Propagation  and  Fruiting  of  Grapes  in  Pots, 
Grape  Culture  in  Gardens  and  Vineyards, 
Preparation  of  Vineyard  Soil,         .         .    . 
Planting  and  Pruning  Vineyards, 
Mulching  Vineyards, 
Vines  in  City  Yards,     . 
Vines  on  Arbors,     .... 
Renewing  Old  Vines,    . 
Ohio  German  System  of  Grape  Culture,    . 
Management  of  the  Cold  Vinery, 
Atmospheric  Conductors  in  Cold  Vinery, 
Inside  and  Divided  Borders  in  Vinery, 
Composts  and  Soils  for  Borders,    . 
Planting  and  Training  in  Cold  Vinery, 
Management  of  Hot  House, 
Injurious  Effects  of  Deep,  Rich  Borders,  and  Deep  Plant- 
ing in  Vineyards, 
Special  Manures  for  the  Grape, 
Method  of  Applying  the  Fertilizer, 


PAGE 

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73 

74 
81 
89 


APPENDIX. 

Inside  Borders  and  Shallow  Planting, 

Shallow  Planting  of  Trees, 

New  Method  of  Constructing  Vineries, 


93 
lOG 
115 


(123) 


M^ 


'}i, 


WILLIAEVI    BRIGHT, 

LOGAN  ^sTliSERY,  PHILADELPHIA, 

LANDSCAPE  GARDENER,  CONTRACTING  PLANTER, 
AND   NURSERYMAN. 


[The  Logan  Nursery  is  situated  on  the  Old  York  Road,  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  from  Fisher's  Lane  Station,  on  the  Germantown  Rail- 
road, and  about  the  same  distance  above  the  Rising  Sun  village.] 


Mr.  Bright  devotes  himself  chiefly  to  the  propagation  of 
FOREIGN  and  NATIVE  GRAPES,  the  Cultivation  of  choice  ever- 
greens, and  other  ornamental  trees  and  shrubs,  and  to  the 
laying  out  and  planting  of  cottage  and  villa  lots,  and 
fruit  gardens.  He  also  superintends  the  construction  of 
vineries  and  borders,  after  his  improved  method. 


GRAPE    VINES. 

Every  known,  proved,  good  variety  of  foreign  grape  may 
be  found  at  the  Logan  Nursery,  suitable  for  planting  in  the 
VINERY,  and  for  pot  culture.  Mr.  Bright  having  recently 
visited  Europe,  has  obtained  all  the  new  grapes  of  value,  and 
has  now  an  unrivalled  collection  of  nearly  one  hundred  va- 
rieties of  the  best  foreign  grapes,  which  he  will  soon  be 
able  to  exhibit  growing  in  his  own  houses. 

He  can  also  supply  aH  the  new  native  grapes,  of  the  best 
quality,  grown  from  layers,  or  in  pots,  in  any  quantity,  at 
the  lowest  market  rates. 

ORNAMENTAL  TREES  AND  SHRUBS. 

Here  may  be  seen  a  fine  collection  of  the  rarest  ornamen- 
tal trees  and  flowering  shrubs,  especially  the  proved 
hardy  kinds,  for  planting  lawns  and  cottage  lots..  Any 
new  plant  or  tree,  not  in  the  collection,  will  be  furnished  at 
short  notice. 

FRUIT     TREES. 

Mr.  Bright  will  furnish  (and  attend  to  the  planting,  if  de- 
sired,) all  the  choicest  varieties  of  native  and  foreign 
FRUIT  trees,  for  orchards  or  fruit  gardens  ;  and  he  is  able 
to  show  numerous  gardens  planted  after  his  method,  in  his 
immediate  vicinity,  where  the  dwarf  pear  and  other  fruit 
trees  are  unusually  thrifty  and  successful. 

SMALL  FRUITS,  STRAWBERRIES,  ETC. 

All  the  choicest  varieties  of  raspberries,  strawberries, 
blackberries,  &c.,  are  grown  at  the  Logan  Nursery,  or  on  ) 
grounds  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Bright,  and  can  be  tuinlshed.  I 
in  any  quantity,  and  at  reasonable  prices.  -S 

■^....^ ^^^K 


I  EVERGREENS.  | 

?       The  stock  of  EVERGREENS  is  large  and  fine.     The  cultiva-  7 

]  tiou  of  evergreens  at  the  Logan  Nursery  is  in  fact  made  a  | 

specialty.     The  trees  are  all  grown  as  specimens,  pruned 

into  elegant  shape,  and  prepared  for  planting  by  repeated 

removals,  root  pruning,  &c. 

Mr.  Bright  now  offers,  at  reasonable  prices,  a  lai'ge  assort- 
ment of  beautiful  evergreens,  such  as 

Norway  Spruce — from  two  to  ten  feet  high,  grown  as 
perfect  specimens. 

Scotch  Firs — of  a  variety  of  sizes. 

Austrian  Pines — very  beautiful  and  healthy. 

Silver  Firs — fine  specimens. 

White  Pines — beautiful,  and  truly  American  trees. 

Irish  Junipers — on  one  stem,  very  choice. 

Swedish  Junipers — of  peculiar  beauty. 

Scaled  Juniper,  or  Squamata — rare  and  fine. 

American  Arbor  Vitas — for  hedges,  all  sizes. 

Golden  Arbor  Vitse — the  most  beautiful  of  all  the 
Arbor  Vitas,  and  fine  specimens. 

Mr.  Bright,  in  planting  Evergreens,  will  attend  to  the  bu- 
siness in  person,  and  give  any  aid  that  may  be  desired  with 
regard  to  the  setting  of  trees,  in  reference  to  grouping  and 
picturesque  effect,  as  well  as  to  the  successful  growth  and 
future  health  of  the  plants,  such  as  manuring,  mulching, 
winter  protection,  &c. 

Gentlemen  desirous  of  ornamenting  cottage  and  villa  lots, 
are  invited  to  visit  the  Logan  Nursery,  and  examine  the 
stock  of  Evergreens. 

Mr.  Bright  feels  assured  that  he  can  give  a  degree  of  satis- 
faction in  this  branch  of  his  profession,  which  will  be  highly 
gratifying  to  gentlemen  of  taste,  and  save  them  years  of 
time,  mortification,  and  pecuniary  loss. 

SPECIMEN  VINERY,  VINEYARD,  ETC. 

Gentlemen  visiting  the  Logan  Nursery,  may  see  gi'apes 
grown  in  pots,  in  the  vinery,  and  in  the  vineyard,  upon  his 
system  of  pruning;  also  his  new  inside,  divided  border,  for 
the  vinery,  new  methods  of  ventilation,  &c.;  and  he  cordi- 
ally incites  persons  really  interested  in  such  matters,  to  call 
and  examine  these  things  for  themselves. 

jg®""  Bright's  Grape  Fertilizer  is  sold  in  casks  or 
bag       '   ""'  '  '^'     ■  «...-.    V 


ags,  at  $45  per  ton,  or  2^  cts.  per  ft.,  by  the  single  bag. 
City  Depot  for  the   Fertilizer,  at  the  Agricultural  Ware- 
house of  Graham,  Emlen  k  Passmore,  No.  G27  Market  St., 
Philadeli)hia. 


n 


-<;■. 


